 Located on the ground floor of the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, 131 Remsen Street, between Henry and Clinton Streets, the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue Homeless Shelter provides a warm, safe place to sleep, along with dinner and breakfast, for twelve women Monday –Thursday from November through March. The Shelter is an entirely volunteer effort, coordinated by BHS congregants and supported by members and non-members alike, including other synagogues, churches and community groups.
Guests are brought to the Shelter by bus from CAMBA, a drop-in center and social service agency in Brooklyn. The only thing all our guests have in common is that they are homeless women. They are otherwise a diverse group in terms of age, background and circumstances. Some women will spend the night in our Shelter having been at work all day. The women are pre-screened, since we are not equipped to host women with severe emotional or physical challenges.
We provide an evening meal each night. The hospitality and opportunity to dine in a small group setting are at least as important as the food we serve. When the women leave in the morning, they are encouraged to take non-perishable; in many cases these leftovers will serve as their lunch.
The two overnight volunteers arrive at 7:00 p.m. and are greeted by a shelter coordinator who shows them the ropes. Dinner is made by volunteer cooks and delivered in advance. The women arrive at around 8:00, are served dinner, and go to bed soon thereafter. The overnight volunteers clean up and set things up for the morning. Everyone gets up early and the guests leave before 7:00 a.m. The volunteers are then free to leave as well.
It is a very interesting and rewarding experience and the guests are very appreciative. If our beds, food and hospitality were not available, many of them would be forced to eat and sleep elsewhere, or not al all. But we can’t do it without volunteers. It is not hard or scary. We give you very clear instructions and if you like, we can pair you up with someone who has done if before. Won’t you consider it?
Volunteer Opportunities at the Shelter
Overnight Stay: Our most critical need is for overnight volunteers. Generally, two adults spend the night at the Shelter; two people may sign up together or an individual will be paired with another volunteer. A child over the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah is considered an adult and may spend the night with a parent. It is a very significant experience for them. (Guidelines for Overnight Volunteers) Cooking: Volunteer cooks may prepare a meal at home and deliver it to the Shelter kitchen by 7:00 p.m. with a description of the meal and instructions for serving/heating. Alternatively, the meal may be prepared onsite. Some overnight volunteers choose to cook as well. Cooking is also an excellent way to involve children as Shelter volunteers. Desserts are especially popular. (Guidelines for Cooks)
Pinch-hitting: When there is a last-minute opening for an overnight volunteer due to illness or other unavoidable emergency, the Coordinators turn to the Pinch Hitters list. Placing your name on the list does not obligate you to step in when called, only to consider helping on short notice. To place your name on the Pinch-hitters list, contact Barbara Deinhardt at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or Andrea Feller at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
How to Volunteer
Use our sign-up calendar www.bhsbrooklyn.org/shelterschedule to choose a date to volunteer at the Shelter. This season the Shelter will be open from Monday, November 16, 2009-Thursday, March, 26, 2010. Sign up yourself or with a friend or think about adopting a week and committing to finding volunteers among your family, friends or colleagues.
If you would like more information about our Shelter, need help using the sign-up calendar, or you would like to join the Shelter Committee, please contact Barbara Deinhardt at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or Andrea Feller at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
