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Read on to find out what YOU made possible at Talbot Interfaith Shelter this month! | |
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Thanks to YOU, we served 44 people this month, including:
15 Single Individuals
13 Families
22 Children (with 2 on the way!)
Guests ranged in age from 2 years to 65 years old
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Welcome to February, a month of love and resilience at TIS. As we navigate through the winter chill, we lean on the warmth found in community and the strength found in solidarity. This month, we celebrate the spirit of generosity in our community, highlighting stories of hope, courage, and the collective efforts that make a difference in the lives of our residents.
Read on to see what YOU made possible in February!
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For those of you who have been following LaToya's story, you'll be happy to hear that she's moved out of Evelyn's Place and into one of our off-site transitional apartments! LaToya has been dedicated to making progress in the S4 Program (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success), and though we'll miss her bright smile and presence around the shelter every day, we are ecstatic to see her move on to the next phase of her journey. Keep it up, LaToya!
Speaking of the S4 Program, 10 of our shelter residents are received certificates on February 29th for their participation in the Money Fundamentals class! Completion of this program ensures that our guests have a basic understanding of financial responsibilities. All ten guests learned how to save, budget, prioritize needs over wants, and set goals. Importantly, they also learned about how and with whom to have conversations regarding finances and planning for their futures.
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A major component of the S4 Program is ensuring that our guests have the knowledge they need to remain successful once they leave TIS. Our life skills classes cover a range of topics designed to address the most common challenges they will face throughout their lives.
As mentioned, 10 of our shelter residents received certificates for their participation in the Money Fundamentals class in February! Around the shelter homes, residents often share with staff how integral this particular class is on the road to self-sufficiency, so thank YOU for making these impactful educational resources available to our individuals and families who are working towards success.
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New Mobile Health Access on Tuesdays!
For many people experiencing homelessness, reliable transportation can be a barrier to connecting with health providers - especially in small towns with limited public transportation options.
Choptank Community Health's Mobile Health Unit travels across the Mid-Shore communities and provides them the capability to truly meet patients where they are. In order to facilitate basic healthcare access for TIS residents, the Choptank Community Health Mobile Unit will be stationed opposite the front door of Easton's Promise every other Tuesday!
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These milestones, large and small, are all part of a process that can be long and challenging for our guests. Your gifts of time, treasure, talent and tenderness motivate them to work hard and make a better life for themselves and their families. We cannot thank you enough! | |
15 Years of Changing Lives Together! | |
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Talbot Interfaith Shelter was formed in 2008, and during the first week of January 2009, we first began serving our unhoused neighbors as a rotating cold-weather shelter, rotating between faith communities and serving five people at a time. Six congregations hosted our guests, and many others provided volunteers for our “homeless” homeless shelter.
Fifteen years later, we have two permanent shelter facilities and seventeen off-site transitional apartments, and often serve more than fifty people at one time. We owe it all to you and your unwavering generosity, compassion, and encouragement. We are so proud to partner with you in the fight against homelessness in our community!
Click the button below to read our full TIS-Story:
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Homelessness in the U.S. Hits a Record High | |
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A record number of people across the country are experiencing homelessness: the federal governmentʼs annual tally last year revealed the highest numbers of unsheltered people since the count began in 2007. Every night, some 445,000 Americans seek safety and shelter at organizations like TIS.
Late writer Lori Teresa Yearwood, who struggled with homelessness throughout her adult life, explains that “society created a new species of people, and we carefully crafted an image of them: one of broken passivity and victimhood, people in need of constant scrutiny and monitoring...when we shift and widen the perspective of the unhoused, thatʼs when things radically change.”
Learn more about the unique circumstances, challenges, and solutions that define our nation's homeless population from the perspective of those experiencing it in recently published articles like "A Life Without a Home" and on Vice.
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Each year in Maryland, 50,000+ people experience homelessness.
-HCDMD.org
There are only enough shelter beds to reach 55% of the homeless population.
-EndHomelessness.org
In 2022, 174 children in Talbot County Public Schools were counted as homeless.
-Talbot Family Network
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Contact our Director of Development and Marketing, Laura Richeson, at 443-786-6962 or [email protected] to find out how YOU can help us reach our fundraising goals to support our neighbors in need. | |
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Spotlight on Team TIS!
February has been an exciting month for Team TIS! We opened up registration for our 2024 Lip Sync Battle fundraiser scheduled for April 27th at the Waterfowl Building. Returning participants like Saints Peter and Paul School and Easton Family Dental have increased their team fundraising goals from $500 to $2,000 this year in support of our mission! Fan favorite Father Nash, accompanied this year by Dr. Sanchez, set his team's fundraising goal at $20,000! Local businesses and individuals have already come out strong as sponsors to ensure that everyone's favorite fundraiser is successful and memorable. On February 20th, several TIS board members joined staff at the shelter to participate in filming the Team TIS lip sync video - stay tuned for some very entertaining performances coming soon...
Generous volunteers like Jill and Chloe Meyerhoff continued to provide delicious meals each night. Big-hearted community members dropped off much-needed donations, like Susan and Greg Kolakowski with their donation of bedding and curtains, and Madeleine Cohen with her gift of Valentine's Day bouquets for our shared living spaces. We ended the month at Anthony's Ristorante Italiano for 5-Course Wine Dinner event that raised $1,500 towards our end-of-year goal!
We hope you will take a few moments to watch the video below and check out some of the highlights from our wonderful Team TIS this month!
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Guests enjoying the Anthony's Ristorante 5-Course Wine Dinner | |
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Remembering Tom Malone
It is with deep sadness and great appreciation that we acknowledge the loss of Dr. Thomas C. Malone a.k.a. Tom - a friend of TIS since the day we opened our doors.
Tom and his wife, Mary Lou, have been volunteers since the very beginning of Talbot Interfaith Shelter in 2009! They began volunteering as house sitters at UUFE, and lent a hand (or four) at countless TIS events over the years. Tom and Mary Lou are known for always being the first to sign up to volunteer for an event, and Tom will be remembered for showing up each time with a smile on his face and a story to tell.
Professionally, Tom is best known as the former Director of Horn Point Laboratories near Cambridge, MD and a tenured professor at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science over the past five decades. Born just outside San Francisco, Tom graduated from Colorado College, earned a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii in oceanography, and later achieved a Ph.D. in biology from Stanford. Despite his West Coast roots, Tom and his family made the Eastern Shore their home and devoted their time, energy, and resources to protecting the Chesapeake Bay and supporting the Mid-Shore community.
Team TIS will remember Tom for his ever-present smile and his commitment to creating a bright environment for his neighbors in Maryland and around the world. He will be missed terribly by many, especially his friends at TIS, and we celebrate and carry his legacy today and always.
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A Special Message For our Promisekeepers!
Thank you to our 45 Promisekeepers who make a recurring monthly gift in support of our mission. Your reliable generosity enables us to make a significant dent in the $1.4M we need in order to meet our operating budget for this year.
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As a thank you to our loyal Promisekeepers, we are initiating an incentive program to show our appreciation! Any current or new TIS monthly donor who is enrolled by the end of March will automatically be entered to win wonderful monthly prizes courtesy of local businesses like Rise Up Coffee.
Stay tuned for the announcement of our April winner!
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To become a TIS Volunteer, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Nancy Cummings, at 410-690-3120 or [email protected].
Click the button below to meet more Team TIS members!
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It's the best time of the year! Lip Sync Season is officially underway, and we have secured 19 teams for our Online Video Competition and our Live Competition on April 27th at the Waterfowl Building in Easton. For those of you raring to purchase your tickets, mark your calendars and stay tuned...
Introducing our Platinum Record Sponsor: SUN MGT who are returning this year as our presenting sponsor for the Lip Sync Battle! We are so grateful to SUN MGT for their generous, continued support of TIS's mission.
| Another great way to help raise money for our Lip Sync Battle fundraiser? If you own or work for a local business that's looking to engage customers in new, exciting ways, consider becoming a 2024 Lip Sync Battle sponsor! Sponsorships include various marketing promotions including event signage and digital advertising. Or, you can donate and ask your company or colleagues to match your donation. | |
If you are able to help us stock up on any of the following, we would be so grateful: | |
- Tissues
- Lamps
- Trash Bags (13 Gallon)
- Fresh Fruit
- Paper Towels
- Toilet Paper
- 409 All-Purpose Cleaner
- Ice Trays (3)
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Food Storage Containers
- Aluminum Foil
- Cling Wrap
- Glue Sticks
- Clorox Wipes
- Over-the-Counter Pain Relief
- Over-the-Counter Cold Medicine
- Over-the-Counter Allergy Relief
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These and other items can be found on our Amazon Wish List by clicking the button below. Donations can be dropped off at or shipped to the address below:
Talbot Interfaith Shelter
107 Goldsborough Street
Easton, MD 21601
Thank you SO MUCH for helping us make sure our guests have everything they need!
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Follow our Facebook page or check the donate page on our website for weekly updates on our most pressing needs each Wednesday. | |
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We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of our wonderful business community! Thank you to our amazing Business Partners!
If you would like to learn more about becoming a TIS Business Partner, contact Laura at [email protected] or 443-786-6962.
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Raise the Roof Level Partners | |
Home Builder Level Partners | |
Foundation Level Partners | |
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Eastern Shore Title Company
Blue Heron Coffee
Wawa
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Scossa Restaurant
Blue Heron Catering
Shoreline Pest Solutions
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