Staying Cool

It’s hot.
 
No, correct that. It’s VERY hot.
 
With weather like this, everyone around Patchwork feels extra concern for our guests who we know do not have adequate shelter from the weather. Our guests, themselves, have been concerned about their own safety in the heat. It weighs on them both physically and mentally.
 
This week, everyone was grateful to find a reprieve at Patchwork. Our guests could cool off in our air conditioning, rest, shower, and hydrate before heading out to face the rest of their day. They also had a chance to talk to our staff and volunteers who relayed our care and concern, provided support, and reminded everyone that they are valued.
 
This week, everyone approached our showers with an extra urgency, trying to cool off and wash away the sweat and grime. At one point, a woman stopped in the main office after her shower and exclaimed with relief, “I feel like a new person!”
 
We did our best to make sure that everyone who came to Patchwork got at least one shower for the week. In total, we provided 17 women’s showers and 38 men’s showers. The number of men’s showers was almost at our full capacity.
 
We also did our best to make sure that everyone was able to hydrate. Our guests utilized our filtered water dispenser (“Your water is the best!” was one comment) and drank plenty of lemonade—over 16 gallons. And it wasn’t only the humans who were able to hydrate. We had a couple of dogs stop in to cool off and get a drink along with their owners.
 
This was the perfect week for Patchwork to receive the gift of water bottles donated by Culligan of Evansville. We made sure that all of our guests got one and noticed that many of our guests brought them back all week. That’s noteworthy when so many of our guests are carrying all their belongings with them and only the most useful items are kept.
 
This week, what we offered to our guests was limited in comparison with the overall needs that the heat wave is creating, but I hope that our contributions will combine with others to keep our guests safe till the heat breaks.