The chaplain at a shelter I used to work at met a woman while doing street outreach who asked for a dry pair of socks. It was raining and her feet had been wet most of the day. The chaplain started to apologize because he had already given out his last pair of socks. Then he stopped, took off his own socks and handed them over.
Later, the woman told me that this was the moment she decided to leave the streets. If someone else could care enough to give her the socks off his feet, she knew she needed to care enough about herself to leave street life behind.
Since joining Compass in October, I have seen example after example of Compass staff members taking the time to go above and beyond in caring for our guests. We have staff members who give up weekends to wrap gifts so that everyone in our housing feels remembered during the holidays, who search out clients on the streets to make sure they get important mail, who work late nights and early mornings to make sure that the guests in our shelters are safe.
Your partnership makes this happen. With your help, at Compass we provide not just shelter, but also caring, compassion and community. During this darkest and yet most bright time of year, we thank you for your support.
Warmly,
Mary Steele, JD
Interim Executive Director