Wellness Week: Men for change
Courtesy of shelterforhomeless.org
Mr. Andy Reid and Mr. Christopher Tate, members of the 20 person board for the Pacific House Homeless Shelter in Stamford, Connecticut spoke to member of the Upper School today about their program and the wellness issues that homeless men face. Seniors Jackie Golden, Lauren Monahan, Lilly Morriss, and Lilly Pura planned the presentation.
The shelter opened its doors in 1982, and currently serves dinner to 100 to 110 homeless men at 5:30 pm every evening. It also provides lunch, showers, and bunkbeds for 82 men.
The biggest health problem they notice in the men is a lack of carbohydrate intake. The dinner the shelter provides is often the only meal the men will have in a day, according to Mr. Tate, therefore they must consume more carbs to get the optimum amount of energy from their food.
“On average their meals are heavily weighted towards proteins and fats, and they don’t have enough carbohydrates to sustain themselves throughout the day,” Mr. Reid said.
Volunteers, restaurants, and supermarkets in Connecticut donate the cooked meals served at the shelter.
The main purpose of the shelter is to provide housing and job opportunities to the men, so they no longer need to be dependent on a shelter.
“Our goal is to put ourselves out of business,” Mr. Tate said.
Mr. Tate and Mr. Reid think that recruiting volunteers is one of the hardest parts of running the program. They believe that this is because people are primarily focused on helping women and children, rather than men.
“We’re at the bottom of the food chain in the service world, since everyone sees a bigger need to help women and children,” Mr. Reid said.
Please email Mr. Christopher Tate at [email protected] or call (203) 829-1336 for more information about volunteering.
– Cheyann Greirson, Co-News Editor
