Haywood-Coalition.org

Collection for Christmas boxes for 2009 has now begun!  We are asking for churches, businesses, organizations, and individuals to help again with providing boxes full of goodies for our seniors.

There are many, many elderly residents in our county who need help to ensure they have a wonderful Christmas this year.  Help make Christmas special for our seniors by supporting this project.

Two ways of donating:

You can gift wrap boxes with Christmas paper and fill them with some of the suggested items below or make a donation and we will purchase the needed items.

* Pop top canned goods                     * Soap                                * Paper towels

* Liquid dish detergent                       * Small Blankets               * Light Bulbs

* Toilet Paper                                        * Pens                                 * Toothpaste

* Batteries                                             * Lotions                           * Shampoo

* Socks                                                   * Deodorants                     * Gloves

* Wet ones or wipes                             * Stationary                       * Magazines

* Nail Files                                            * Flashlights                      * Snacks

* Candy                                                  * Postage Stamps              *Toothbrush

Please contact the Senior Programs at Mountain Projects, Inc. at 452-1447 for more information.  All boxes and donations should be sent to Mountain Projects, Inc. no later than December 7^th, 2009.  If you are sending cash or check, please specify that it is for the senior Christmas boxes.  Checks should be made out to Mountain Projects, Inc.  Receipts will be given.

Address:  Mountain Projects, Inc.

2251 Old Balsam Road

Waynesville, NC 28786

Thank you for making a senior’s Christmas special this year!!

PRINTABLE FLYER FOR YOUR PRINTER

Haywood Coalition Meeting
September 30, 2009

Over 30 agencies/churches met on September 30, 2009 at New Covenant Church in Clyde. Patsy Dowling, Mountain Projects and Rev. Nick Honerkamp led the meeting.

Recap: Last year

Lisa James of Haywood Christian Ministries reports an increase of demand for clothing, food and requests for funds for power bills.

Patsy D. said that a recent study ranked NC second in USA in malnutrition and food insecurity for young children. Concerning unemployment benefits; before March 15 (589) will lose benefits. In 180 days, 2100 people will lose benefits in Haywood County. Need to build a safety net to insure that the families are taken care of.

HOUSING

Nick H. reports on what was accomplished last year. Homeless shelter is a success. Shelter starts back up in November for six months. Camp New Life is the location. $25,000 runs an emergency shelter. Most of the cost for security. Churches will provide transportation and devotions.

Community Center Block grant. $308,000 Plus for Haywood C ounty and Jackson County.  Details on Mountain Projects website. Housing grant awarded $1.2 for short term rental assistance. Some qualifications.

Christie Case reports Depot street apartments are available: 6 efficiency apartments in Clyde. Homeless/disability criteria. Looking for referrals.  Contact Mountain  Projects at 586-8958.

64 apartments are to be completed in Feb 2010 in Canton. $350 range. Below fair market value. Mountain Projects taking applications. Income base is the criteria.

FOOD RESOURCES

Waynesville

Haywood Christian Ministries provides a week’s worth of food for a family. Services about 15-20 families a day. Once a month per family.

Open Door breakfast and lunch, (dinner Sat and Sunday when the shelter opens).   Food boxes.

Canton-Community Kitchen meals 6 days a week, food boxes

Clyde-Haywood Baptist Relief Center, food boxes, clothing, jobs/life skill training

Clyde: New Covenant Church provides non-perishable food boxes

Rose of Sharon, North Canton Road

North Hominy, Cruso, Beaverdam, Fines Creek Community Centers: Food

(23) Manna organizations in Haywood County

HC Meals on Wheels

Angel Food: Maggie First Methodist, New Covenant Church, Antioch Baptist Church

3 Nutrition sites Armory at Frog Level, Canton Senior Center, MV Town Building a well balanced meal each day. 60 years and older. Need to contact Mountain Projects in advance.

CLOTHING RESOURCES

Salvation Army

Open Door

Haywood Christian Ministries

Thrift store for REACH

Blankets: HCM, Motels, Open Door, sheets from Plus

WOOD

Richard Reeves coordinates wood distribution. Churches cut wood and bring it to him and he distributes.

Volunteer Center-John Chicoine

TRANSPORTATION

Mountain Projects received a grant. More information to follow.

WEATHERIZATION

Mountain Projects 322 homes over 1.5 years in HC/JC

OTHER

Free Cell Phones for domestic violence victims through 30^th Alliance.

HCC resources for education to retrain people for another job. Also, GED program.

Rental properties can receive funds from Mountain Projects. Short term funds.

Blankets, coats needed for winter

GOOD IDEAS

Community Garden providing fresh vegetable during growing season.

Put info on webpage

211 a good resource to know what is available in Haywood County.

HC Government Access Channel-info on TV can promote Haywood Coalition

Invite Law enforcement to the meetings

Fuel Oil, Power Bills

Mountain Projects

HCM

Open Door

Salvation Army

Crabtree-Iron Duff Community

NCC

DSS

Medical/Dental

Good Samaritan Clinic (behind Health Dept.) Acute and chronic care available. Mental health counseling for patients

HCM dental, extractions/antibiotics referrals to 11 HC dentists

Health Department: HC Dental Clinic-children and adults

Waynesville Plaza

ITEMS NEEDED:

disposable diapers (toddler size requested)
toothpaste
toothbrushes
sample size shampoos & lotions
deodorant

WE ALWAYS ARE IN NEED OF THE FOLLOWING FOOD ITEMS FOR PREPARING FOOD BOXES:

peanut butter
soups (esp. ones with meat)
canned meat (tuna, chicken, etc.)
macaroni and cheese
canned vegetables
canned fruit

BLESSINGS!

MILLIE HERSHENSON, DIRECTOR

Our shelves are getting bare for our Food Boxes!  An excellent idea was provided by Morning Star United Methodist Church!  They provided 50 Food Care Cubes to be easily distributed!  If you would like to provide food in this manner, here is a list of suggested for the Food Cube. (The perfect box for the ‘Cube’ is milk boxes from the grocery store)

Suggested Items:

· Coffee

· Powdered Drinks (packs of Kool-aid, crystal light, Hawaiian punch)

· Canned fruits

· Canned vegetables

· Peanut butter

· Jelly

· Protein bars/cereal bars/snacks

· Hamburger/tuna Helper

· Macaroni and cheese

· Vegetable soup

· Meaty soups

· Spaghetti sauce

· Spaghetti

· Cereal

· Oatmeal

· Canned chicken

· Canned tuna

· Beef stews

· Canned ravioli

· One roll of Toilet paper

· Powdered Drinks

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me @ 828 648-0014 or 828 593-9319!

Blessings!

Mille Hershenson
Director

You can use PayPal or the credit card of your choice to donate to the ongoing work of the homeless shelter developed by the Haywood Coalition.

Use the “Chip In” widget at the bottom of the right-hand column.

Donations and gifts to this work can be made through the Open Door Ministries.

The Open Door is in downtown Waynesville in Frog Level-

Office Hours – Monday-Friday 8am-4pm
Phone: 452-3846

There were numerous newspaper stories about the homeless shelter and the Coalition in The Mountaineer and The Smoky Mountain News since November 2008.

The online archives at The Mountaineer is not showing those articles, but there are some from the Smoky Mountain News.

Churches pool to offer refuge for homeless in Sylva, Waynesville

There ain’t no shelter here

If you have links to other news articles, etc. please send them to the webmaster.

Take a look at this news segment that was done in December by WLOS-TV on the Homeless Shelter:

First Homeless Shelter Opens in Haywood County

Haywood County opens it’s first-ever overnight homeless shelter thanks to the efforts of some local church groups.

They call themselves the Haywood Coalition, a group of charities, non-profits, and churches from all over the county. The group held it’s first meeting three weeks ago and recognized the overwhelming need for an overnight shelter.

“With our economy there are more and more, not just permanent homelses, but temporary homeless. And we have got to start addressing this need and I just think its time for Haywood County to have its own homeless shelter,” says Pastor Nick Honerkamp of New Covenant Church.

Volunteers from different churches will take turns manning the shelter along with a security guard that will be there at all times.

They also want to make it easy for the homeless to get there. Vans will be sent to the Community Kitchen in Canton and The Open Door in Waynesville to take people to the shelter.

The group has the funding and the staff to keep the shelter open every night from now through March.

(video no longer online)

There are a couple of documents that are available online for the Haywood Coalition. These documents can be downloaded for your information:

Guidelines for Staff of the Homeless Shelter

Listing of Emergency Food Providers in Haywood County

(If there are other documents that need to be included, please send them to the webmaster- Michael Rich)

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

This video was produced by Russ McLamb of Hellfire Ministries.  You can download a copy to use on your computer at:

Many apologies to all the folks who have contributed to the work of the Haywood-Coalition.

Some scripts hosted by the company I have worked with for over five years inadvertently erased all the information in the databse where all of the information on this site was housed back on April 3rd. (Needless to say, I am very disappointed with that company and they have received words of wrath and complaint for things that were out of my control.)

Their back up system was inadequate to capture that data (I have asked for them to reconsider their methodogies to protect all of their customers in the future), and so we are back to a fresh website.  

If you were a registered member, that information is gone (though it was not an important part of the website).  All of the articles and postings will be recreated from emails and correspondence that were sent my way the past 4 months. I will be working on it over the next few work days, and it should be back in working order by this time next week.

If you do not see important information on the site by Wednesday, April 15th, send me an email and I will get it up as soon as possible.

Again, my apologies, and I look forward to working with you as we work toward serving the needy of Haywood County in the coming year!

Michael Rich