Working Together

At Patchwork, our work touches and is touched by different people and different organizations every day.

Take our showers, for instance. Some days, we have six people taking showers in one morning. In all, last year we provided 400 showers at Patchwork, filling a niche for people who choose not to or cannot shower elsewhere. The people who shower at Patchwork are grateful to have us as a quieter, less crowded alternative.

We wouldn’t be able to do it without help from our friends. Case workers at Aurora (a homeless services agency) pick up our mountains of used towels, carry them to the House of Bread and Peace (a women’s shelter) to be washed by the residents in their commercial washers, and then bring them back to us clean and folded along with a supply of travel sized soap and shampoo. Many others have also donated travel sized toiletries for people to use when they shower here.

As a result, we’re able to offer showers on a scale we wouldn’t otherwise and we can help Aurora connect with the homeless or nearly homeless people who use our facility. As Shawn recently commented, it’s good to be able to call Susan or Jill at Aurora to get their help with issues that are beyond our ability to assist. In addition to Aurora, Shawn and Dee often call United Way’s 211 service when they need suggestions about where someone can go for help. daffodilShawn and Dee also work hard to be knowledgeable about other agencies in the area that are better equipped than we are to meet our visitors’ particular needs.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *