Last Tuesday, a man came up to the
window where we serve coffee and snacks. Gail, the day’s Hospitality Hostess,
noticed that he was feeling emotional.
The man told Gail, “You don’t realize how different you are from other places.
Other people say Patchwork just gives you coffee and a donut, not a real meal
like some other places. But Patchwork gives us more. You give us love.”
We are always grateful for this kind of confirmation that we’re making a
difference in people’s lives. We hope to be a place that recognizes the
humanity of each of our guests.
During the spring of 2019, we asked a group of MPA students from the University
of Southern Indiana to complete an evaluation of our Neighborhood Hospitality
program. Their observations provide additional insight into what we do and what
makes us different. Among other things, the evaluators wanted to know why
guests chose to come to Patchwork’s Neighborhood Hospitality Program for its
services rather than going to other organizations.
They found that most respondents
cited the quality of services provided and the quality of staff at Patchwork,
and a few less reported that the convenience of the Patchwork’s downtown
location kept them coming to this agency. Guests also noted the warm, caring
environment they felt at Patchwork. When asked what Patchwork does to make them
feel welcome, a large number of respondents mentioned the staff, their
kindness, and helpfulness. One client stated that they appreciated the “freedom
to move around freely,” as their reason for feeling welcome at this agency.
Other clients used words such as “warmth,” “caring,”
and “happy.”
From a simple numbers standpoint, in our most recently completed fiscal year
(October 2018-September 2019), we logged approximately 11,200 instances of
hospitality. These included information shared, phone use, bread, fresh
vegetables, and referrals to other local agencies better equipped to assist the
specific needs. It also included 1364 showers for individuals who, for various
reasons, had no other access to shower facilities. We also brewed approximately
1500 pots of coffee.