With Heart

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.

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