Fourteen volunteers from Esperanza helped serve the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP) on March 26, providing dinner and making sack lunches for the following day.
I-HELP is a ministry that provides meals and shelter nights to homeless adults and also assists them with finding employment through a case management program. On this occasion, Esperanza partnered with Desert Cross Lutheran Church of Tempe.
Volunteers supplied pork loin, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn casserole, salad, cookies and brownies in anticipation of 25 guests. They also brought birthday cake, celebrating a guest and our own Vicki Schutt.
Word of the outreach effort is spreading. Pam Yount testified to this, sharing her experience in purchasing deli meat.
“I got to talking with the lady who was doing the slicing of the meat for me,” she said, “and I told her what the meat was for and told her I had to cook 20 pounds of potatoes for the event also. She said, ‘Just a minute.’ She pulled a $20 bill out of her purse and said, ‘Thank you for feeding the homeless.'”
I-HELP is making a difference! The next opportunity to serve will be Tuesday, June 25, so mark your calendar.
“It’s such an uplifting experience,” Kathy Gemma said. “Everyone is so grateful.”
Esperanza has “such a caring group of volunteers,” Vicki Schutt said.