BRATTLEBORO – Groundworks Collaborative will be coordinating this year’s Seasonal Overflow Shelter (SOS) in downtown Brattleboro at the First Baptist Church, 190 Main Street. The shelter – open each winter from early-November through the end of April – provides a safe and warm place to stay for individuals experiencing homelessness during the winter season. Dinner is provided on a nightly basis.
Groundworks is committed to providing the Overflow Shelter every winter, and is currently entering into the tenth season, however this will be the last year located at the First Baptist Church. According to Groundworks Collaborative’s Executive Director Josh Davis, the organization has “struggled for the past two years with finding a permanent home for the shelter within the downtown footprint, particularly after deciding this past summer not to pursue a project planned for 39 Frost Street.”
Through the support of the local and State fire safety officials, the Town of Brattleboro administration, the Brattleboro Police Department, and others, Groundworks identified and vetted over a dozen locations downtown – none of which came to fruition. In the end, Groundworks was able to work with the First Baptist Church leadership, as well as the potential new owners of the building to keep the Shelter at the church one more year.
“It has been nerve wracking to put this plan together as the cold weather has quickly come upon us,” said Davis. “We’re relieved that the church leadership and soon-to-be owners are supportive, and we were able to work together to come up with a solution. With all of the details now in place, we can now announce this season’s location at the First Baptist Church.”
The operation of the Seasonal Overflow Shelter is completely reliant upon volunteers. For the past nine years a number of dedicated individuals have rallied together to help feed and accommodate those in need of emergency shelter. To operate this year’s shelter, Groundworks is once again seeking volunteer support for overnight shifts and meal teams. “We are preparing to open in early November, and need to staff one meal team and three volunteers to support the shelter each night,” reports Rhianna Kendrick, Director of Operations. “We are preparing to get volunteers trained and signed up for shifts as soon as possible.”
Last year’s SOS was made possible by a small pool of dedicated overnight volunteers – about 45 people in total. “We would like to significantly increase that number this year,” said Kendrick. Groundworks provides training, as well as on-site and on-call staff support for volunteers. “The overnight shifts are perfect for night owls, students, or people that work a night shift – we also rely heavily on retirees,” said Kendrick. “This is a community effort and couldn’t happen without huge volunteer support.”
The Shelter is set to open in early November, and will remain open until late April.
New to Groundworks and the Brattleboro community is AmeriCorps Member and Meals Coordinator Jenna Lanoil. Jenna has been amazed at the early requests from the community for information about providing meals for this season. “It’s wonderful to see so much interest from the community to support such an important need,” said Lanoil.
Groundworks is actively recruiting volunteers for overnight shifts and meal teams. Those interested in volunteering for an overnight shift should contact Rhianna Kendrick at volunteer@GroundworksVT.org or 802-257-5415. Anyone interested in providing meals can contact Meal Team Coordinator Jenna Lanoil at meals@GroundworksVT.org.
If you would like more information, or to make a contribution to support the operation of the Seasonal Overflow Shelter, please visit www.GroundworksVT.org.
