Please Help Simpson Shelter With Your Vote.

You can help a homeless shelter win a $25,000 kitchen makeover with a few clicks. Simpson Shelter’s work is important to so many men and women. Will you please help?
The Family Handyman magazine and IKEA are co-sponsoring a contest called “Rescue Remodel” running through March 30 to award one community organization an IKEA kitchen makeover worth up to $25,000. Here’s what the contest says:

Deserving community organizations from across the country were nominated by their communities to win an IKEA® dream kitchen through our Rescue Remodel Contest. The organization with the most votes will receive a dream kitchen renovation valued at $25,000. And since it’s all from IKEA®, it will be full of smart and innovative ideas to make their lives a little bit easier so they can better serve our communities.

I make no comment on whether the other four organizations up for the prize are worthy. Obviously, they are. They’re all very worthy and deserving of such generosity. What I can tell you, however, is that I’ve witnessed first-hand what Simpson Shelter does for homeless men and women. Volunteers from across the twin cities metro come in to cook and serve meals which they, the volunteers, also bring. They do this in the kitchen in the basement of Simpson United Methodist Church – a basement which is now fully dedicated to providing services for homeless men and women who need help.  Volunteers from the church and other organizations join in with a small staff to offer services for homeless persons in crisis, in need, and in hope of transitioning to being a person with a home.
And at this shelter, it’s not just beds and it’s not just meals. It’s savings accounts. Volunteer social workers. Volunteer lawyers. Volunteer health care professionals. Showers. Donations of hygiene products, socks, underpants. A comfortably couch and a big screen TV. Dignity. It’s a monumental undertaking and while I would prefer there would be no need for homeless shelters, there is need. And Simpson Shelter does amazing work to fill that need in their own little way.
Here’s a brief video from Simpson Housing Services and I have a little to add below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkPUR1dPEa0?rel=0&w=420&h=315]
Bed space is limited. But no one walks away hungry. I’ve worked in that kitchen at least a dozen times the last few years and I’ll tell you, we get the job done. But that job could be done a lot better with a new kitchen. New stoves to cut down cook time and ovens sized for baking multiple dishes for a large group at one time. Better storage. Better counter space. Cups. Yeah, cups. It’s a haphazard mixture of cups there and every time I’m there I see at least one more cup have to be thrown away because it’s been there so long and used so much it’s cracked and worn.
Giving a person without a home a cup, some dignity.
What does it cost to live without dignity?
What does it cost you to help?
Next to nothing.
A few seconds of your time every day, from now through March 30.
Go vote. Please.
Thank you.
-nm