Thank you from the 2020 Silicon Valley Safe Parking Ministry Team and guests to all those who volunteered to help make Safe Parking such a success over the last two months. We would like to acknowledge and thank the following people, some of whom volunteered multiple times and/or in more than one capacity:
Ellen Cook, Deb Gordon, Ruth Tebo, Michal Stachnick, Gloria Bordeaux-Pacholec, Carla Zaccheo, Judy Stevens, Mary Edson (Campbell UCC), Jennifer Busam, Sheena & Sue Clayholt, Marsha Stevenson, David Snook-Luther, Nancy Lucid, Trish Fay, Shelley & Kae Bendixen, John Weidmann, Deanne Everton, Terry & Gwen Duffy, Brian Link, Danielle Perrine, Jamie & Jürgen Schweizer, Lauren & John Cesare, Deb & Daniel Earl, Liz Cox, Karen Winchester, Rev. Tom Gough, Laurel Rupp, Chris Kirkpatrick, Ann Lougee, Pat Thompson, Cindy Eckhardt, Rev. Penny Phillips, Susan Price-Jang, Kristin Link, Mary-Ellen Petrich, Liz Carey, Jay Perrine, Monika Spazierer, Jacqui Reed, Brenda Eberle, Mark Knudsen, Tanya Blansett, Maryann Coole, and Karen Armor—a total of 51 volunteers!
We may not have been able to have the level of hospitality that we were able to do last year, but what we did do still made an impact on our guests. You’ll see some of their comments in italics below.
So, how many volunteer opportunities were there? We had
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- 62 morning parking lot checks covered by 8 volunteers
- 17 meals cooked by 17 volunteers (some cooked more than once)—Please tell who ever made those smashed potatoes, that they were the best ever!
- 17 meals served by 15 volunteers (some served multiple times)—Thank you to everyone for the great meals and all your hospitality.
- 7 cookie bakers—Those cookies were great, I really liked the snickerdoodles, be sure to thank everyone who made them.
- 3 snack providers—We loved the variety of snacks.
- 6 bottled water providers—Thanks so much for leaving us frozen bottles of water on all those hot nights.
- And thanks to the CSMT for providing some emergency supplies to have on hand for the guests—Thank you for the first aid kits, they’re a perfect size for our car.
How many guests took advantage of our program?
The highest number of guests that were on our roster was 15, which included several families. Of those folks, we had a strong core of 6 to 8 people who were here both months. Thanks to Amigos, the two families were housed using their hotel program. The following are comments from one our guests and a message sent to me by another guest. It is really a note for us all!
- Your courtyard is such a wonderful place to sit, meditate, and regenerate my energy. I’ve actually started calling it my Zen Place, and I can’t wait to walk on the Labyrinth one of these days.
- Karen, I want to thank you and your staff for the use of your beautiful church grounds. It felt very much like the camp experiences I remember from my youth with the trees, path and nice patio courtyard. Thank you once again for your kindness, meals, baked goods, the microwave and frozen waters.
- Although we have never met face to face, it’s a small world and I am sure we shall some day cross paths. Until then, God bless and know your good works make this world a better place. Peace be with you.