Trinity Social Ministries - Interfaith Hospitality Network

Shelter, Meals, and Support Services to Families Without Homes

IHN is a 30-congregation network in San Mateo County providing emergency shelter and meals, as well as a Day Center in Burlingame which provides job search support, laundries and showers, and a consistent address so that children can attend school. In its four years of existence it has provided 12,500 bed nights and 37,600 meals to its guests. In 2003, fifty percent of families moved directly to permanent housing, a remarkable statistic for an emergency program.

Typically five or six families, often headed by single mothers, will live in the parish hall or other community room, in tents, at a single faith community for one week at a time on a rotating basis. During the days they are bussed to the Day Center. Trinity parishioners help during the four weeks of the year that the host parish is St. Peter's Episcopal in Redwood City. Typically one or two couples will eat dinner with the families, sleep overnight there, and then serve breakfast and a sack lunch. Everyone is gone by 7AM! The Trinity commitment is for one night during each of the four one-week visits to St. Peter's.

Responsibilities: Serve as hosts for homeless families overnight. Duties include: preparing, serving, and cleaning up dinner and the next mornings breakfast and socializing with guests. Some but not all volunteers spend the night.
Contact: John and Lucy Strandberg - 650.322.9820
Time Committment: Once a quarter, either just the evening or all night
Timeframe: Evenings

Snapshot: "August 20 was Trinity night at IHN at St. Peter's. The Strandbergs, their son and daughter-in-law, and the two of us were hosts on behalf of Trinity. We visited with and served four adults, three teenagers, two babies, and a four year-old. It was a GREAT evening. Cute babies (we got to rock them)-neat teenagers!" --Gerry Kirchgatter

(Photos from IHN)

Learn more at the Interfaith Hospitality Network site.