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St Thomas Outreach Team
Reaching Out and Reaching In
The St. Thomas Outreach Team needs your help! We are collaborating with other churches and non-profits* to alleviate wintertime homelessness in the valley. Housing sites include the former Silver Creek Living Center in Hailey (soon to be directed by Blaine County Housing Authority - BCHA) and the High Country Hotel in Bellevue. Serving others is fun, joyful, and God’s will. You can serve in the following ways:
● Building Maintenance Checklist at BCHA’s Silver Creek Living Center in Hailey:
○ Run through a checklist of general housing items that require maintenance, helping to refill community items like paper towels, toilet paper, soap, trash bags, and other items included on the checklist which is being created currently.
○ A volunteer orientation will be available in early December.
○ This task takes ~30 minutes to complete. This position is needed twice per week.
● Maintenance/repair services at BCHA’s Silver Creek Living Center in Hailey:
○ Skilled workers can volunteer to be on a call list to respond when unforeseen repair or maintenance issues arise. The list currently includes a roofer, a couple general carpenters, and someone skilled in flooring and painting.
● Snow removal assistance at BCHA’s Silver Creek Living Center in Hailey:
○ Individuals with snow removal experience and equipment are needed
○ Volunteer for the first snow, for a specific date, a specific week, or to be on a call-list basis of availability
● Meal Prep for Families at High Country Motel in Bellevue
○ Four families are living at the High Country Motel but have no way to cook meals there. The rooms have sizable refrigerators to store food.
○ The faith community is teaming up to provide meals that can be easily re-warmed in a microwave. Meals often include the likes of chicken, rice, potatoes, vegetables, soup, etc.
○ Heather Wesley at LDS-Hailey coordinates food delivery. Please call Heather if you would like to sign up to provide a meal: 503-516-9178.
● Kitchen space made available on Saturday or Sunday for families to cook
○ Churches or Individuals can volunteer
○ The four families living at High Country Motel in Bellevue would like to cook for themselves.
○ If you would like to open your kitchen on a Saturday or Sunday, we can help coordinate a time for a family to cook. This is a weekend need only. (During the weekdays, these families work late hours and would not have time to travel and cook.)
○ Food for meal preparation can be provided either by the families coming to cook or by the host kitchen itself.
○ A translator can be arranged; these families speak very limited English.
The Episcopal Church is clear about God’s concern for the vulnerable in our societies. Jesus calls the Christian community to take care of the marginalized, the oppressed, and those in need. He makes clear that as we serve others, we serve him through serving them. Connecting with other people through service is joyful. The St Thomas Outreach Team calls you to please volunteer to serve as you are able!
*Organizations involved include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hailey, Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hailey, St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Hailey, Light on the Mountains, the Hunger Coalition, St Luke’s Center for Community Health and others.
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