heart’splaceshelter - St. John's Baltimore - Reconciling United Methodist Church

HEART'S PLACE SHELTER

Our church’s ministries:

"Where our hearts guide our hands"

HEART’S PLACE SHELTER is an overnight shelter for the homeless – a mission of St. John’s Church. The shelter is open three nights a week, Sunday through Tuesday, during the months of November to April. We welcome men, women and

children.

Our Philosophy…

The volunteers, staff and everyone involved with Heart’s Place are committed to creating an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion in the shelter. We know that the homeless problem will not be solved overnight, but together we can produce a comfortable, supportive environment for people who have nothing.

What the Shelter Offers…

We encourage both staff and volunteers to build relationships with the guests. Individualized case management is provided to each guest. We offer three daily meals, showers, free clothing, weekly card games and most important a safe and caring environment, we provide referrals to a variety of other programs depending on our guests needs.

What the Shelter Needs...

Donate Money

Most of the funding for Heart’s Place Shelter comes from private donations and contributions, with some grant assistance, though federal, state and city monies have been reduced. We rely heavily on donations for many of our material needs. Donated funds are spent on for staff and utilities. During the season we are able to make available over 1800 bed nights (one person/one bed/one night). We figure our costs average out to a little over $48 per bed night.Your donation to Heart’s Place Shelter is tax-deductible and we will provide you a receipt for your records.

Send checks to:

Heart's Place Shelter

St. John's United Methodist Church

2640 St. Paul St.

Baltimore, MD 21218

Additionally we can accept donations online via secure site Paypal but they take a percentage for the convenience (again, please write Heart's Place Shelter in the memo).

Donate Time

Volunteering at Heart's Place can be on a regular basis or less-frequent basis. Activities could include clothing distribution, social interaction with guests, sharing/teaching a particular skill, or serving meals, to mention only a few ideas.

Donate Material Goods

Please see our Wish List below for the types of items we need. If we cannot accept what you have, please donate to the Baltimore Free Store.

Wish List

Volunteer Opportunities:

provide meals: we need groups to bring us dinners and food items for bag lunches – on a one time basis, a couple times or on a regular schedule.
guest interaction
newsletter mailings
meal preparation
sorting donations
case management/counseling
and much more

Donations of any:

Cold weather clothing: underwear, socks, jeans, work boots, sweaters, coats, etc.
Coffee supplies: coffee, sugar, powdered milk, tea
Jumbo boxes of oatmeal and cold cereal
Jumbo size (to be shared) lotion, hair grease,spray deodorant
Individual small soap bars, combs, razors, toothbrushes
Kitchen, Office, Bathroom Cleaning Items
Paper plates, napkins, cups, plastic cutlery

Please get involved with or otherwise support Heart’s Place Shelter. Contact us at 410-235-9269 or heartsplace@earthlink.net to get involved.

"Inclusion in the institutions and the fabric of our society is integral to our sense of substance significance, wellbeing, self worth. To be ignored, cast out, or excommunicated is, in some very real way, to cease to be: I am not acknowledged, therefore I do not exist. No experience (is) more powerful or more immediately destructive than the exclusion and invisibility that accompany homelessness."

-Homelessness in America: A Forced March to Nowhere,

by Mary Ellen Hombs and Mitch Snyder