On behalf of the Harvey County Homeless Shelter, Inc. (HCHS) Board of Directors I invite you to become part of theHomeless Ministry in Harvey County. Since March, 2005, HCHS has housed, fed, and cared for over 700 residents dependant on the hundreds of faithful volunteers and the churches which provide support on a regular basis through gifts of:
• Prayer for the missionaries, staff, board, volunteers, and residents of HCHS.
• Time: two volunteers minimum serve daily from 5p-8a, all year round. The shelter has not been closed, even for one
night since, November 1, 2005.
• Finances: it costs approximately $6,000.00/month to run the shelter; these finances are donated through individual,
corporate and congregational monetary donations.
• Meals: Volunteers provide an evening meal each night and serve 25 residents/staff/volunteers on average.
Occasionally other meals including breakfast and special Holiday lunches are provided at the shelter.
• Consumable items: many groups, individuals, and churches provide paper goods, cleaning supplies, groceries, and
other items needed to support the residents of the shelter.
• Service: HCHS is blessed by individuals, youth groups, school classes, churches and many others doing service-oriented projects to help make modifications to or maintain the facility.
In addition to the hundreds of volunteers who currently support the HCHS Ministry, we need two additional teams to manage the shelter on a day to day basis. Currently we have over 20 congregations which create eleven teams that man, feed, and care for the shelter one week a quarter; each team is comprised of 1-3 churches. The goal is to have 13 teams which each take one week per quarter to serve at HCHS. In addition to creating two new teams, there is also a desire to strengthen and provide additional volunteer support within a few of our current teams. The HCHS Ministry is seeking additional congregations to become involved by volunteering at the shelter. History shows, each team that has ever supported the ministry has started with one or a few individuals within the congregation gaining knowledge of the ministry, understanding the need, and individually making a commitment to volunteer. Then, once knowledge is gained and there is an understanding of the ministry and what is provided to the residents of the shelter, this one individual (or sometimes 2-3 individuals) also called “team leader”, then goes to their congregation and start the process of creating a team. This process must start with the Church Board approval, once the board approves, the teams almost always start to blossom and grow into the teams we know, love, and appreciate today. This process does not go forth without an individual commitment, a heart for reaching out to the lost and those in need in our community, and a devotion of time to spread the word and grow a team. The Lunch & Learn will provide a no strings attached opportunity for someone from your congregation or church board to enjoy a complimentary lunch, and listen to a presentation from the HCHS ministry team of why the homeless shelter is needed in our community, what we provide to the residents, how we are supported, the HCHS mission, etc. We hope to answer all of your questions and give you an opportunity to see the shelter and engage with the ministry team asking questions or concerns you may have.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly on my cell phone at 316.284.4205 or call Bethany Mace or Dee Spicer, Office Managers at the shelter at 316.283.7711.
Thank you for your time, we look forward to hearing from you.
Christa Jahay
Harvey County Homeless Shelter, Inc.
christa@hchs-ks.com
316.284.4205 (cell)
www.hchs-ks.com
Lunch &Learn Harvey CountyHomeless Shelter, Inc.
Have you ever considered volunteering at the Harvey County Homeless Shelter (HCHS) but didn’t feel you knew quite enough
about the ministry to make a commitment or become involved? If so, the HCHS Lunch & Learn is a perfect opportunity for you to
become acquainted with the ministry’s mission and staff!
Please join the Ministry Team at the Harvey County Homeless Shelter for a complimentary lunch on either Thursday, June 18 or
Tuesday, June 30, at 12:00 noon to find out more about how you can become a part of this vital outreach in the Harvey County
Community.
The HCHS Lunch & Learn is not a training session; instead we will provide you with an opportunity to see the shelter, visit with
some of the staff and board members, and acquire a better understanding of the ministry operations. It has been encouraging to
see the greater Harvey County Community join together to aid the down-trodden of the family of God. Yet, there is an imperative
need for additional believers and churches to support the homeless ministry by creating new teams.
One of the ministry’s goals is to provide each HCHS volunteer with the understanding and proper training needed to make each
opportunity to serve at HCHS as comfortable as possible. We want every volunteer to enjoy their time serving at the shelter; to be
confident and have the knowledge to manage the shelter with ease. We want you to feel welcome, be appreciated, and leave
knowing the time you volunteered was well spent and you contributed to making a difference in someone's life. We do understand
the thought of working in a homeless shelter may be frightening. We also know schedules are hectic and merely the thought of
adding one more activity to an already overloaded agenda can be exhausting. The HCHS Lunch & Learn will provide an
opportunity for you to learn the ministries needs and see how simple it is to be come involved by physically supporting the
ministry as an individual or starting the process to create a HCHS team within your congregation.
Make plans today to join us for the upcoming HCHS Lunch and Learn!
Seats are limited; please RSVP at your earliest convenience!
For reservations or questions, please call 316.283.7711 or email at info@hchs-ks.com
RSVP by June 16th to attend the Thursday, June 18th Lunch &Learn
RSVP by June 26th to attend the Tuesday, June 30th Lunch &Learn
The Harvey County Homeless Shelter is located at 209 East Broadway in Newton
