Will you help us ______ this story?

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Many of you may have already seen the Carpenter’s Shelter mad lib in your mailbox. This holiday season we ask you to fill in this story and consider how a gift can change the course of our residents’ lives. 

A digital version of the mad lib can be found here. Fill it out and post a picture on social media using the #mad4carpenters. We can’t wait to see how you complete the story! 

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One BIG Impact

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Carpenter’s Shelter is going to have a big day on Saturday, Nov. 18th! Not only will we be hosting Run for Shelter, our annual 5K, 10K and Fun Run, but we will also be having impact days at Whole Foods Market, Sweet Fire Donna’s and Pork Barrel BBQ. This gives you many ways to support the homeless in our community just before the holidays. Below are the details about our upcoming impact days:

Whole Foods Market

Shop at Whole Foods Market in Old Town (1700 Duke Street) on Saturday, Nov. 18th! If you present your Run for Shelter bib or an impact card that will be the race bags and at the event, 5% of your purchase will be donated to the shelter. It’s a perfect time to stock up on all the ingredients you need for Thanksgiving!

Sweet Fire Donna’s and Pork Barrel BBQ

Would you rather have someone else fix you lunch or dinner? Eat at Sweet Fire Donna’s or Pork Barrel BBQ on Saturday Nov. 18th, and 5% of your purchase will be donated to the shelter!

Whole Foods Market, Sweet Fire Donna’s, Pork Barrel BBQ are just around the corner from Run for Shelter and are perfect stops on the way home after logging some miles! Be sure to spread the word to family and friends.   

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Volunteer Appreciation and Service Award Winners

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Carpenter’s Shelter relies on the commitment of more than 1,000 volunteers each year to keep the shelter up and running. From preparing and serving meals to sitting at the front desk to keeping our pantries and toiletry closet organized, volunteers touch every aspect of the shelter. To say thank you for all of their efforts, Carpenter’s Shelter will honor our volunteers at a Volunteer Appreciation Cook-Out on Saturday, June 24th from 2-4pm. Come join the fun, play cards and cornhole and eat the afternoon away! 

Also during Volunteer Appreciation, we will be honoring volunteers who have gone above and beyond to support the work of Carpenter’s Shelter. Help us congratulate the following service award winners!

Bob Douglas Service Award Winner

Beth H.– The winner of our 2017 Bob Douglas Award, Beth, has done a little bit of everything at Carpenter’s over the last seventeen years.  As a professional caterer, Beth has provided our clients with fantastic meals and caters many of our special events. She has also recruited many new people to volunteer at Carpenter’s in various capacities. Beth recently donated a car in April and even finds time to sit at the front desk.

Wall of Honor Award Winners

Carrie K.– As our annual report photographer and co-chair of Circle of Hope, Carrie helps clients and staff capture memories, as well as create new ones by leading volunteer opportunities and recruiting new volunteers to our team. After last year’s photo shoot, Carrie provided family photos for our residents who otherwise could not afford it. For one client, it was the first and only photos that she had of her new born child. 

Edith B.– A board member since 2013, Edith uses her skills and connection to PCI Communications to help us tell our story and share our mission to potential donors and volunteers through professional mailings and videos. She also facilitates focus groups with current and former residents so that their voice and perspective can be considered when the board and leadership team make decisions.

Ray R.–  As a front desk volunteer for almost three years, Ray is the face and voice of Carpenter’s Shelter several times a week as he welcomes clients, guests, and staff into the shelter. He helps the staff by answering the phone and helping potential clients and donors receive the information they need.

Yahweh Outreach International– For almost three years, volunteers from YOI provide our clients delicious meals and help our staff fill last minute meal openings. Also a few volunteers from Yahweh managed our Carpenter’s Café table at Cook-Off this year and nearly took home the People’s Choice Award!

If you would like to join us for the Volunteer Appreciation Cook-Out, please RSVP to EllenChadbourne@CarpentersShelter.org by June 10th. 

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Alternative Giving

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Warm scarves and seasonal sweaters are great gifts for your loved ones, but why not give them a gift that will make them feel warm from the inside out?
 
Purchasing a sustainable gift is a great way to tell someone “I Love You,” without having to brave the stores or worry about selecting the wrong size.  By making a donation in someone’s name, you’re really giving two gifts in one:  one to the person it helps, and one to the person it honors.
 
Carpenter’s Shelter will be able to put your Alternative gift toward ensuring our single adults, children and families continue to receive shelter, warm beds, healthy meals, supportive case management and life-changing educational workshops that help them end their struggle with homelessness. Just think of how your loved ones will feel when they realize that your gift to them is a gift to the whole community. Every donation is tax deductible.
 
Your gift could provide:

  • $25 – Sheets for one of our 60 beds
  • $50 – Metro card for one week of job searching
  • $100 – 10 blankets for Winter Shelter
  • $250 – Two weeks of milk and healthy snacks for residents
  • $500 – One month of health services at our onsite clinic
  • $750 – LifeSkills classes for our next client
  • $1,000 – One month of services for a homeless child

Click the green Donate button at the top of the page to make a gift!

Contact RebeccaHightower@CarpentersShelter.org with questions. 

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Updated In-Kind Donations Policy

By Carpenter's Shelter,

We have made some changes to our In-Kind Donation Policy. These updates are to ensure we are stewarding donations to the best of our ability as well as educating our donors on our specific needs. Some of the changes are highlighted below: 

  • We now have an email sign up sheet for those who would like us to reach out to them when we have a specific need. For example, if we have a family that needs clothes for their children, we will reach out to those on the list with details of what we need. Email KellyMcDermott@CarpentersShelter.org if you’re interested in signing up!
  • We cannot accept unsolicited clothing, furniture, used or new toys, books, games or car seats due to space constraints and safety
  • Due to VA health code, we are unable to accept any leftover perishable refrigerated foods. We have an amazing team of volunteers who come every single day to feed our clients. We are unable to ensure that the food was kept at safe temperatures, so we will no longer be accepting any of these foods.

Click here for a printable copy of our In-Kind Donation Policy. 

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You’ve made our April!

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Wow! You made Spring2ACTion and our 14th annual Cook-Off successful events once again! Thank you for supporting Carpenter’s Shelter. In just one week, together, we raised more than $95,000 to support the homeless in our community. Since our doors opened in 1988, Carpenter’s Shelter has been powered by the community. It’s incredible to see that almost 30 years later, the community is still the driving force behind Carpenter’s Shelter. 

This year during Spring2ACTion, more than 175 donors supported our day shelter, David’s Place, and have funded it through the end of the year! This means that more than 200 homeless adults will have access to shower and laundry facilities, a phone and a mailing address. Thank you for keeping the only day shelter in the City of Alexandria up and running!

Just a few days after Spring2ACTion, more than 400 Carpenter’s supporters came to The Birchmere to celebrate our 14th annual Cook-Off. Guests sampled dishes from 25 area restaurants while the Alpha Dog Blues Band played along. Thank you to our sponsors, participating restaurants and supporters who attended the event! Congrats to the Cook-Off winners:

            People’s Choice Award: Meggrolls  
            Kids’ Choice Award: Sugar Shack Donuts 
            Best Savory Dish: The Grille at Morrison House
            Best Sweet Dish: Bittersweet
 

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Spring2ACTion: What if we all gave on one day?

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Imagine that you are homeless and have struggled for many years to find stability and a place that gives you some feeling of permanence. Carpenter’s Shelter helps people in that situation by offering David’s Place, a day shelter for homeless adults. 

David’s Place allows its guests to take showers, do laundry, access the phone and internet, and have a mailing address. David’s Place is the first point of outreach for the most vulnerable and hardest to reach population in our community. Last year, 234 adults accessed David’s Place and received the support they needed. Of the 234 adults, 65 took the steps necessary to enter a residential shelter program, moving even closer to stability and finding a place to call home. 

Those that access David’s Place need you, and you can help them on Wednesday, April 20th during Spring2ACTion, Alexandria’s giving day. Please donate to Carpenter’s Shelter and support the homeless men and women of Alexandria. Our goal of $30,000 will fund David’s Place through the end of the year. You can provide refuge and support to the most vulnerable population in our community. Together, we can continue to be the change that Alexandria’s homeless need most. 

Last year during Spring2ACTion, you raised over $20,000 for general needs at Carpenter’s Shelter. You had an impact on the 750 homeless men, women and children that crossed our threshold last year, and you made a difference in our community. Together, we can do even more and raise $30,000 for the homeless in our community.

Click here to donate to Carpenter’s Shelter during Spring2ACTion. 

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Top 5 Things You Learn During a Blizzard

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Whether you called it Jonas or #Snowzilla, this past weekend’s storm packed a punch! Amid it, we found out a few things that happen at Carpenter’s Shelter when there is 24 inches of snow on ground. Take a look at our Top 5:

5. Even squirrels take refuge at Carpenter’s

When we saw the weather forecast for this past weekend, we knew we would have a full house. Over the weekend, we had 61 adults, 21 children, 5 staff members and one squirrel take refuge at Carpenter’s. Yes, a squirrel! All Friday night, shelter residents could hear our new friend, given the name Scampy, running up and down the length of the building in the ceiling. On Saturday morning, Scampy decided to clean up a bit and was found in the shower on the Men’s Unit. Like any shelter resident, Scampy knew he could not stay and Carpenter’s  forever, so he worked hard to find a more permanent place to live and made his official exit Saturday afternoon. This is one shelter guest that we do not expect to see remain connected to Carpenter’s through our Community Case Management program

4. Staff works around the clock

Carpenter’s Shelter is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year which means a little weather or even a blizzard does not stop our operation. The worse it gets, the more our services are needed. With roads becoming impassable and the Metro shutting down, five dedicated Carpenter’s staff members packed their bags and weathered the snow with shelter residents from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening. During their combined 258 working hours, staff ensured that shelter residents’ needs were met and everyone stayed safe and warm. We are so grateful for an amazing staff team embodies one of our values, dedicated to serving with respect!

3. Shoveling snow becomes a way of life

The Carpenter’s Shelter snow removal equipment worked overtime this past weekend. Many of our residents were eager to lend a hand and help staff keep our sidewalks and courtyard paths clear to ensure our building could be accessed safely. Shoveling snow is a great example of how residents help out around the shelter. When there is not 24 inches of snow on the ground, residents often volunteer to help with various projects including yard maintenance, moving furniture in the building and even serving and cleaning up after a meal if we do not have a volunteer group to do so. Carpenter’s Shelter relies on ALL–donors, volunteers, staff and residents–to run smoothly!

2. Hot meals are a must

Did you know that it takes five freshly made cakes to have enough dessert for 82 people? We do now! Between residents shoveling and the kids playing in the snow, hot meals and sweet treats were essential for surviving the blizzard. Carpenter’s Shelter relies on volunteers to not only serve 3 meals a day but to also prepare the meals. Even with two feet of snow, several volunteers made their way to Carpenter’s to make hot meals for all 82 men, women and children in the shelter. When the weather was at its worst and volunteers were unable to make it into the shelter, staff members put their culinary skills to the test and whipped up meals based on what had been donated to our panty, including lasagna and ham and potatoes. During the blizzard, a total of 583 meals were served.

1. It takes a village

Carpenter’s Shelter was founded on and has thrived for nearly 28 years because of community support. That did not change this past weekend. Community members spread the word that we were open with a No Turn Away policy for anyone seeking shelter. Volunteers ventured out into the storm to ensure our residents had meals to eat. Supporters called on Friday asking what they could do to help us prepare for the storm. Individuals and families dropped off items that our residents needed. Donors made contributions to help us cover the extra operation costs.

Because of you, Carpenter’s Shelter had the capacity to remain operational during a historic storm.

Because of you, our residents had gloves, hats and scarves to wear out in the snow.

Because of you, 61 adults and 21 children had a warm place to rest.

Thank you for your unwavering support. We couldn’t have made it through the storm without you!

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Share-A-Haircut Day

By Carpenter's Shelter,

You know that feeling you have when you have a new haircut? Yeah, we do too. For many of our residents who are job searching, a fresh haircut can give them the confidence they need to land the position.

We are excited to partner again with Hair Cuttery for its third annual Share-A-Haircut! On February 1st and 2nd, for each person that gets a haircut, Hair Cuttery will donate a haircut to a homeless individual. Last year, Hair Cuttery donated over 50,000 haircuts nationwide, and we were grateful to have some of our residents be recipients of the free cuts!

Make sure to visit your local Hair Cuttery on February 1st and 2nd. You can support our residents and get a new style yourself!

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Community Partner Spotlight- Dr. Jessica Hill

By Carpenter's Shelter,

It’s nice to have talented friends. Carpenter’s Shelter is fortunate to have many, including Dr. Jessica Hill of Alexandria Family Dental.

Dr. Hill occasionally provides emergent dental care for our residents. Although we do not have to call on her often, each time we do, Dr. Hill provides amazing services at no cost to Carpenter’s Shelter or our resident. Recently, a resident alerted staff that she had been in terrible pain for nearly two weeks. Staff called Dr. Hill, and she immediately agreed to see the resident. In the end, Dr. Hill performed two root canals and follow-up care for our resident.

Dr. Hill is a perfect example of how community members use their talents to support Carpenter’s and our residents. We are extremely lucky to have such a great partner in Dr. Hill and are grateful for the care and support she shows our residents. Thank you, Dr. Hill, for your many years of support!

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New Law Makes Donating Even Easier!

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Last Friday, Congress made charitable giving even sweeter. The PATH Act, now permanent law, allows individuals age 70 ½ or older to transfer up to $100,000 from an IRA account to their favorite charitable organization without the money being subject to income taxes. This is effective immediately which means you must act quickly to take advantage of the benefits for 2015!

 

Here are the details:
• You must be 70 ½ or older to qualify.
• You can transfer up to $100,000 from an IRA to a charitable organization.
• No income taxes are paid on the gift.
• The gift can count towards your minimum distribution requirement.
• If you have already made a gift from an IRA account in 2015 to a charitable organization, the gift will qualify under the new law.
• If you would like to take advantage of this new law in 2015, you must make a donation before December 31, 2015! Contact your IRA administrator for more information.

 

Donating from your IRA account is a great way to support Carpenter’s Shelter. At Carpenter’s Shelter, we rely on the support of the community to serve hundreds of homeless and formerly homeless individuals and families each year. Contact your IRA administrator with questions or to make a donation to Carpenter’s Shelter.

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Alternative Giving

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Warm scarves and seasonal sweaters are great gifts for your loved ones, but why not give them a gift that will make them feel warm from the inside out?
 
Purchasing a sustainable gift is a great way to tell someone “I Love You,” without having to brave the stores or worry about selecting the wrong size.  By making a donation in someone’s name, you’re really giving two gifts in one:  one to the person it helps, and one to the person it honors.
 
Carpenter’s Shelter will be able to put your Alternative gift toward ensuring our single adults, children and families continue to receive shelter, warm beds, healthy meals, supportive case management and life-changing educational workshops that help them end their struggle with homelessness. Just think of how your loved ones will feel when they realize that your gift to them is a gift to the whole community. Every donation is tax deductible.
 
Your gift could provide:

  • $25 – Sheets for one of our 60 beds
  • $50 – Metro card for one week of job searching
  • $100 – 10 blankets for Winter Shelter
  • $250 – Two weeks of milk and healthy snacks for residents
  • $500 – One month of health services at our onsite clinic
  • $750 – LifeSkills classes for our next client
  • $1,000 – One month of services for a homeless child

 

Click here to make a donation. A certificate will be available for you to download and present to the recipient upon completion of your donation.
 
If you have any questions, contact Peyton at peytonplummer@carpentersshelter.org

hollydonate

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Scottish Christmas Walk Parade

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Represent Carpenter’s Shelter and welcome Santa to town by walking in the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade on Saturday, December 2nd, 2023.

The parade will begin at 11:00 a.m., and those interested in walking in the parade will gather at corner of Wolfe Street and N. St. Asaph Street in Old Town at 10:00 a.m. All ages are welcome to participate in the parade.
 
If you have questions or would like to participate, contact Meghan Cole at MCole@CarpentersShelter.org.

Click here for a printable map of the parade route.

 

 

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Eat at Overwood. End Homelessness.

By Carpenter's Shelter,

You can support homeless individuals and families in our community by simply going out for lunch or dinner. For the entire month of November, when you dine at Overwood in Old Town and mention Carpenter’s Shelter, Overwood will not only donate 15% of your purchase to Carpenter’s Shelter, but they will also discount your bill by 5%.

 

To learn more, click here. Thank you diners and Overwood for supporting Carpenter’s Shelter!

 

Make your reservation now!

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2015 Non-Profit of the Year

By Carpenter's Shelter,

Each year, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce hosts the Business Awards to honor local companies and organizations for their role in contributing to Alexandria’s business community and economic growth.

 

The 2015 Business Awards were held on October 21st, and Carpenter’s Shelter was recognized as the Business of the Year in the Association/Nonprofit category. The Chamber also honored the following businesses:

 

Association/Nonprofit Business of the Year:
Carpenter’s Shelter
Offender Aid and Restoration

 

Rising Star Business of the Year– Frolick Dogs, LLC

 

Small Business of the Year– Skyline Wellness

 

Medium Business of the Year– DiMuro Ginsburg, PC

 

Large Business of the Year– Stratford University, Alexandria Campus

 

Overall Business of the Year– Renner & Company, CPA, PC

 

Carpenter’s Shelter is honored to be among the distinguished businesses featured at the 2015 Alexandria Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. The business community in Alexandria has proven to be loyal supporters as volunteers and funders since Carpenter’s Shelter’s humble beginnings in the basement of a church.

 

Carpenter’s Shelter is also grateful to the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber provides Carpenter’s Shelter with opportunities to connect with fellow business and organizations to make Alexandria a thriving, healthy community.

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ALEXANDRIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2015 BUSINESS AWARDS

By actualize,

Each year, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce honors businesses and organizations that work to create economic growth for the community, are innovative and set standards of excellence for business practices with their Business Awards. We are excited to announce that Carpenter’s Shelter has been nominated for the 2015 Business Awards in the Association/Nonprofit category.

The individuals and business that nominated and wrote letters of support for Carpenter’s Shelter stated that our commitment to addressing, overcoming and changing the causes of homelessness for families and individuals and working with clients to achieve sustainable independence makes us unique in our approach to ending homelessness. Tamsin Green of Motley Fool wrote in her letter of support for the nomination:

“In The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare writes, ‘How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.’ Carpenter’s Shelter is that candle and we are delighted to help them shine.”

We are excited about our nomination and grateful to be a member of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber provides Carpenter’s with opportunities to connect with fellow businesses and organizations to make Alexandria a thriving community.

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