A new season, a new volunteer opportunity...

This column spends a lot of time looking at ways to improve our local government, and sometimes that can come off as being a bit “negative”.  So, periodically it's nice to talk about the good things people are doing in the community.  This last week saw two emails land in the inbox that are excellent reminders of that.  

A few short months ago during Christmas week, this column told you about the Room In The Inn (RITI) program run by Urban Ministries in Charlotte where local church congregations and other organizations provide a warm place to sleep for our homeless neighbors during the winter months.  In Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson 15 different congregations participate.

As of March 31st, this year’s RITI program has come to an end, so I wanted to pass along an update and some numbers.

Over the course of the 2014/2015 Winter, RITI provided almost the exact same number of bed nights, as it did last year – just over 17,000.   The number of families needing shelter and the total number of children actually increased slightly this winter.  The overall number of organizations participating stayed exactly the same at 135.

The good news here is that because of this program and the thousands of volunteers who helped make it a success, that was 17,000 nights people were spared from the cold.

Please keep this effort in mind next year is you are looking for a worthwhile cause that can make a real difference.

While the RITI effort was winding down, the other effort I’ll mention is just getting ramped up.  

It is an opportunity where people can really get into the weeds – pun intended – while helping others.  That opportunity would be the annual start of the Davidson Community Garden on Potts Street in Davidson behind the Wells Fargo drive through.

The garden is on land donated by Davidson College with its unofficial kickoff each year being a work day as part of the annual “Great Day of Service” put on by Davidson United Methodist Church.  This year that was on March 14th.

Five years ago, the initial garden was build during the DUMC event, and it has been added to every year.

The second summer saw the garden double in size.  For the third summer, the garden set the goal of donating a full ton of food to the Loaves and Fishes food pantry at the Ada Jenkins Center.  That goal was met and has been repeated annually since then. After three summers of watering using a 300 foot hose and crossing the railroad tracks, a fundraiser brought in more than enough money needed to install a permanent water supply going into season number four.  

Along the way the garden has brought together people from all across the community.  On any given Saturday, you will see residents from neighborhoods all across town.  Families, students from the college, seniors and young children can all be seen working together.

There are a number of groups that participate regularly such as different Scout Troops and classes from the Community School of Davidson.  There is also one group that likely never sees the fruits of their labor – local inmates.  Many of the plants that are grown in the garden get their start in the greenhouse of the North Mecklenburg Jail in Charlotte as part of a work training program.

The whole operation is coordinated by Connie and Eddie Beach of Davidson.  For their efforts, they were honored last November with the town’s annual “Jack Burney Award” for community service.

So, if you are interested in learning how potatoes are harvested, stop by in early June.  You may get to see what a hundred pounds of potatoes coming out of the ground looks like.  Or, if you've ever wondered where that odd looking southern staple, okra, comes from, then check out the tall bushy plants that seem to be growing just fine in the blistering heat of July and August.  The okra plant is from Africa, and it takes off when most other things start to wither.

Unlike most “community gardens” there are no fees or individual plots.  The Davidson Community Garden donates the bulk of the produce to the Loaves and Fishes food pantry at the Ada Jenkins Center.  It’s truly a garden for the community.

However, even though you won't have your own personal plot at this garden, there is a good side benefit to volunteering.  After a good morning’s work, you might just get to take home one of those juicy tomatoes.

Garden volunteers meet Saturday mornings at about 10am through the fall.

Finding a Room in the Inn

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.  Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ –Matthew 25: 35-40

Back in February of this year, there was an unexpected controversy around the installation of a sculpture by Canadian artist Tim Schmalz called ‘Homeless Jesus’.

The piece was placed in front of St Albans Episcopal Church in Davidson.   Unfortunately, it also made the news across the country and internationally with the unfortunate tag line of “somebody called the cops on Jesus” when someone phoned the police after mistaking the statue for a real homeless person.

While the vast majority of local comments were supportive of the statue, not everyone thought it was appropriate.  Some did not like the location.  Others said they did not like the idea of Jesus being portrayed as vulnerable or needy.

Many supporters said it made them think more about the homeless, or that it was a good conversation starter on a subject that too often gets pushed into the shadows.  Particularly here in North Mecklenburg where there may be fewer visible occurrences of homelessness to remind people on a regular basis, the statue certainly could serve that purpose.

However, the real value in that sculpture would be realized if it inspired people to actually do something rather than just talk about its artistic or religious merits.

On this Christmas Day, readers should know they have the opportunity to do just that by volunteering for the Room In the Inn program run through Urban Ministries in in Uptown Charlotte.

Room in the Inn (RITI) recently started up its annual program to provide shelter during the winter months for those in need.  Through this program, houses of worship and other organizations open their facilities for the night and provide a warm place to sleep along with three meals (dinner, breakfast, and a bag lunch).  “Neighbors” as the guests are called can get a hot shower and pick up things like extra toiletries if needed.

A night at a RITI facility provides a much needed respite from the street, and unfortunately there is too much need for these services.  Last winter nearly 1500 different people took advantage of the program.

To pull off that kind of effort is no small feet.  A single night at a single facility takes many volunteers - drivers to and from the Urban Ministry Center, people to setup, people to bring dinner, one or two volunteers to spend the night with the neighbors, and people to help with early morning breakfast preparation and cleanup.

It could take as many as a dozen different people to get it all done.

Most facilities who participate in RITI are only able to do a few nights a week – at most.  Some may only be able to do one or two.  However, it is cold every night during the winter.

One big reason more nights cannot be offered is that it takes a lot of people to fill all those volunteer spots.

In Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson there are fifteen different organizations participating in Room in the Inn.  If you are looking to do something different in the coming year, seek out one of those groups and offer to help this winter.

Even if it is once a month or only once or twice a year, that can make a real difference.  If enough people were to do just that much, more of those facilities that have the space available might be able to do more nights.

Unlike Mary and Joseph who were having trouble finding a place to stay on that first Christmas Eve, more people who need it would then be able to find a Room in the Inn.

For more information:  http://www.urbanministrycenter.org/helping-the-homeless/room-in-the-inn/