Host A Holiday Party

One of our new ideas this holiday season is to suggest that Community Groups Host Holiday Parties for us. 

Because of the tough economic times, we are trying to find ways to focus the outpouring Christmas generosity on essential items and services.  Hosting a holiday party, while fun for your family and friends, will help us serve families at the Father Ed Judy House in a way that it is meaningful and empowering.

 For example, your group could throw a “Feet to Street Party” – to help families with their transportation needs.  Guests would be encouraged to bring socks, bus tokens or gas cards.  We would provide the host with information on our shelter, why we need things like bus tokens – and we may even be able to attend the party to provide a short presentation if appropriate.  We feel like encouraging groups to throw parties would be both meaningful to guests and help us provide crucial items to our families.  

 Party Ideas:

Feet to Street Holiday Party

Guests would bring: socks of all size and shapes, panty hose for moms to where with work outfits, BUS TOKENS or 10 RIDE BOOKs (you can get these at King Soopers and Safeway) – gas cards (small denomination gift cards to anyplace that sells gas.)

The Need:  Families always need essentials like socks and stockings ~ but more so, they need affordable transportation.  A monthly bus pas costs $79.00 per month for an adult!  To ride the bus locally, you need 9 tokens EACH WAY.  That means a trip to the store costs a mom (without any children) $4.50 round trip!  Without transportation, our families can’t get to the doctor or to a job interview.  Helping with transportation is one of the first steps to helping mothers regain their ability to be stable.

 Laundry Lovers Party –

Guests would bring: Quarters, laundry soap, laundry baskets, stain sticks, clothes pins

The Need: The average income of our families who moved out last year was $292 per month.  At least half of our families move into apartments that do not have washers and dryers in them.  As a result, they must spend $1.00-$1.50 per load to wash their clothes and another $.75 – $1.00 to dry them.  Additionally, food stamps does not cover laundry soap.  Being able to do laundry is a convenience many of us take for granted, but it is an activity that many of our moms struggle with – especially as they strive to send their kids to school each day in clean clothes.

Celebrating the Christmas Child Party-

Guests would bring- diapers, diapers, diapers and wipes, nursing supplies, bottles, baby soap, butt cream

The Need:  Diapers for babies and toddlers are a necessity at the shelter.  They can also be a serious financial drain on a family with limited income.  Moving from shelter to shelter and then into housing makes it difficult to potty train toddlers – so we often need larger size diapers (size 5 is our most needed size.)  Our mothers love their babies and only want the best for them.  We never want our mothers to have to consider not changing a baby to save money.

Cookie and Canned Food Exchange ~

Guests would bring: Holiday cookies to trade with each other, canned goods, beans, rice, cereal and other non-perishable food

The Need: An alarming number of families who move from shelter back into stable housing still struggle with bouts of food insecurity. Every week we get calls from mothers who have run out of food stamps, or who have, for some reason, not received their food stamps, and have run out of food.  This fall we had a call from a mom who was pregnant with twins and called us after having spent two full days out of food.  In response, we try to keep an emergency supply of non-perishable food at the shelter to deliver when these emergencies come up.  Our case manager then works with families to address the underlying issue. 

 Towels and Tampon Party –

Guests would bring: Bath Towels and Face Cloths, and Feminine Protection.

The Need: We serve mothers, who are of course women, and as such, and they menstruate, every month.  Again, feminine protection is not covered by food stamps.  This can be expensive for women trying to make it on less than $300 per month.  It is also an item that we can’t live without at the shelter. We need a variety of feminine products, from maxi-pads for mothers who just gave birth, to teen feminine protection for their adolescent daughters who are just starting their period. We also need a continuous supply of bath towels at the shelter. Can’t we all relate to how it feels to step out of the shower and wrap ourselves in a big, soft towel?

 Safe Holiday Party –

Guests would bring: Bandaids, Neosporin ointment, thermometers, teething remedies, baby gates, and items to “baby proof” homes such as cabinet latches.

The Need: Remarkably, food stamps will not pay for cough drops – because they aren’t food – but they will buy candy.  With so little income, many of our moms can not afford simple first aid supplies.  Similarily, when our families move into their new apartment, if they have babies or toddlers they need supplies to make the living space safe such as electrical outlet covers. 

Start the New Year’s Right Party-

Guests would bring: calendars, day planners, back packs (for children and adults), expand-a-files, small filing cabinets, inspirational wall art or magnets, wrist watches, bus tokens and 10 Ride Books

The Need:  Keeping up with multiple case managers and appointments, on the bus, in a homeless shelter, with children can be very challenging.  Day planners and organizers are so helpful to our mothers! It takes a tremendous amount of work to rebuild your life when you become homeless, having the right tools helps.

On-going Party Idea:

Party All Year ~ Sponsor a “Shared” Bus Pass

Last summer, the Women Helping Others group funded a pilot study on whether it would be possible for families in the shelter to “share” a bus pass ~ and would it make sense financially.   We are happy to report that for the mothers who “shared” a house bus pass, it worked wonderfully.  We would love to be able to have adult bus passes to “share” each month, both in the shelter and occaisionally with our alumni families. Of course, each “shared” bus pass will help us extend our limited supply of bus tokens, but it also affords the mother who is using it the ability to make multiple short errands during the day without worrying about needing more tokens or when her transfer slip expires.

We would like to invite Book Clubs, Bible Study Groups, Giving Circles and other community groups who meet monthly to consider sponsoring a “Shared” Bus Pass.  They are $79.00 per month and make all the difference to families who are working hard to find housing, a job and to rebuild their lives