C’ville Shelter

Friends of PACEM:

I hope you’re planning to join us on Friday, April 11, from 6-8 p.m. at the John Paul Jones Arena @ UVa for a lively end-of-season Recognition and Awards Event. This is shaping up to be a wonderful celebration, and I wanted to share some exciting updates about the evening’s activities.

In addition to tasty food, live music (courtesy the singing group Fire), a special tribute to the volunteers and staff who made our winter shelter season a success, and the debut of our annual PACEM “Golden Pillow” and “Hope and Hospitality” Awards for folks who’ve gone above and beyond to help the homeless:

*  Dr. Charles Marsh has agreed to join us with some inspiring keynote remarks. Dr. Marsh is the founder of the Project on Lived Theology at UVa, and author of The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice, from the Civil Rights Movement to Today.

*  I am pleased to announce that we are expecting another very special guest, Mr. Tom Shadyac. Tom, the director of Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, Patch Adams, Liar Liar, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and many other hit movies, will help to honor our award winners, and will give us an update on the First Street Church Project, the community resource center/homeless day haven that he is working to bring to downtown Charlottesville. Admission is free and there is plenty of free parking. 

You won’t want to miss this event — we hope to see you then.

Peace,
Dave Norris
Executive Director

p.s. Many thanks to the following business and individual sponsors who made a financial contribution to PACEM in conjunction with this event:

Allied Concrete
BP Oil
BB and T Bank
Better Living
Bob’s Wheel Alignment
Mac and Kay Canter
Bushman-Dreyfus
Daggett and Grigg Architects
Family Medicine of Albemarle
Les Fabriques
Martin-Horn
William and Lori Millick
Mitchell-Matthews and Associates
Mary Newton
Omni Hotel
Quality Information Partners, Inc.
Ryscor Corporation
Ramsey Family Trust
Region Ten Community Services Board
Gabe Silverman
Southern States
Summit Realty
David and Rebecca Sweet
Swift Air Delivery
Synthonix Corporation
Virginia National Bank

The PACEM staff is in need of the following:

1. Funds for: Staff and supplies and printing services
2. Plastic ponchos
3. Vouchers for transportation, which are available at the city office building downtown. (A booklet of 40 – 50 bus passes costs about $21.)
4. Hotel vouchers for homeless families
5. Backpacks (the type used in schools - adult size)
6. Sleeping bags and tents
7. Clean underwear and socks
8. Suitcases with rollers (Hard-sided suitcases with only a handle are not recommended)
9. Drug store gift cards or funds for filling prescriptions

10. Over the counter medicines: Tylenol®, Advil®, Goody’s Powders®, cough drops, Mucinex®, Robitussin® Cough and Cold (not Robitussin®-DM), antacid tablets, Pepto-Bismal® tablets, antibiotic ointment, Band-Aids® and ear plugs

With your permission, PACEM can work with you to publicly acknowledge your generosity.

Monetary contributions in any amount can be sent to: PACEM, P.O. Box 14, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902, or you can make a secure on-line donation.

PACEM relies on donations to fund operating expenses, such as supplies and office space. In addition, even though PACEM depends on volunteers, there is a paid, trained staff on-site at the shelters at all times throughout the season, as well as a full-time staff that provides ongoing year-round support to the homeless.

Sponsorship Opportunities for PACEM:
If you don’t know what to give, you can choose to cover the cost of one of the items below:

1. Purchase of new cots — $1,500
2. Hotel vouchers for homeless families — $3,000
3. Emergency assistance funds for homeless guests (help with prescriptions, bus tickets, winter coats, etc.) — $1,000
4. Transportation of guests to and from shelter — $10,000
5. Shelter supplies — $4,000
6. Shelter monitor position (an employment opportunity for a former PACEM guest) — $2,940
7. 1 week of shelter (staff time) $1,800
8. 1 month of shelter (staff time) $7,500

PACEM is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and donations to PACEM are tax-deductible. Your monetary contribution in any amount can be sent to: PACEM, P.O. Box 14, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902, or you can make a secure on-line donation.

For more information on getting involved with PACEM, please contact Adriana Nicholson, our Guest Advocate/Volunteer Coordinator, at 434-465-5093 or pacemga@aol.com. 

Each host congregation is asked to consider providing two weeks of service to the homeless each winter.

During those weeks the congregation will be asked for the following:
1. A location where the beds can be set up all week long.

2. Congregation volunteers for those two weeks to:

a. Cook and serve meals at night or provide for this service through other means.

b. Prepare morning breakfast.

c. Provide two (2) persons to sleep in the shelter overnight with the professionally trained paid person(s)

d. Provide volunteers to talk with the folks in the evening, play cards, pray, watch TV with and befriend those participating in the shelter.

e. Pack lunches for those that sign up/request a bagged lunch. (This is to help those homeless who are employed and need to carry a lunch to work.)

3. Make a financial contribution for start-up money to purchase cots and sheets and to hire the professional night staff.

4. If your congregation’s facility is not available, consider renting a facility. (Private school, community center, etc.)

Contact Adriana Nicholson, our Guest Advocate/Volunteer Coordinator, at (434) 465-5093 or pacemga@aol.com if your congregation is interested in becoming a host organization.

If your congregation is unable to serve as a host site, you may consider making a financial donation or volunteering to partner with another participating congregation to provide jointly the services listed below for two weeks per winter.

Donate to PACEM (Giving Time):
Because PACEM is a locally supported interfaith collaboration that depends primarily on volunteers and the support of a kind and generous community, the following are ways in which community members and congregations can support PACEM, through donations of time:

1. Provide transportation for guests and/or supplies
2. Volunteer to staff the intake center
3. Be a sponsor of guest setups: cot, pillow and blanket
4. Provide food for meals to host churches
5. Provide general office assistance
6. Be a prayer partner
7. Provide a meal prep team member
8. Provide an overnight volunteer staff person

To get involved in these activities, or for more information on getting involved with PACEM, please contact Adriana Nicholson, our Guest Advocate/Volunteer Coordinator, at (434) 465-5093 or pacemga@aol.com.