Homeless Issues #94

Upper Room Dining Hall History

The Upper Room Dining Hall was started at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in 1993 when the Youth group received permission, to host a soup/bread Friday supper in the basement of the Youth hall for the homeless during Lent.
This soon expanded under Elly Kozlowski’s and Deanna Schrader’s direction., In 1998 the County applied for and received a $375,000 grant to purchase land and build a seven-day-a-week soup kitchen. St. Patrick’s and a private donor provided $56,200 to partner with the County.  The county provided an additional $110,000 from the general fund to make the project complete.
By 2002, construction of the Upper Room Dining Hall at 1868 Broadway, Placerville, was well underway.  Elly and Deanna recruited volunteers from St. Patrick’s and other local churches. Before the Upper Room opened, Elly arranged a partnership with Mike Sproull, founder of the El Dorado County Food Bank that had started operation in 2000. The Food Bank has continuously provided about 85 % of all of the food prepared and served at the Upper Room.
By opening day, June 4, 2002, there was volunteer coverage for Monday through Friday of each week. Sundays were not fully covered, but Foothills United Methodist Church and Federated Church took up the Sundays. Many different churches now participate in this most wonderful service to our homeless and at risk citizens.
The Upper Room Dining Hall is a true community effort that provides dinner and companionship every day to those in need.  We thank all of the volunteers and donors of money and food, upwards of half a million dinners and take out lunches have been prepared and served since 2002— an average of 113 meals every day for a total of 537, 073 and counting as of the end of April 2015.
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                                NAMI
of El Dorado  County                          National Alliance on Mental Illness
The mission of NAMI El Dorado County is to provide emotional support, education, and resources for families and individuals living with mental illness.  Through community collaboration and education, NAMI advocate for a life of purpose, quality, and dignity – one without discrimination – for all people affected by mental illness.  NAMI El Dorado County is an affiliate of NAMI, a national organization, and NAMI California, a state organization.  NAMI El Dorado’s non- profit status was begun in the 1990’s.  We utilize NAMI Standards in providing evidence based education programs without cost to the community and provide ongoing support groups for families.  We are active on both slopes of El Dorado County, reaching out to the community through on-line newsletters, speaking to social and business groups, participation in collaborative partnerships with law enforcement and the Health and Human Services Agency, and working with other organizations and non-profits for greater access and improved treatments for those suffering with mental illness.  We are an all-volunteer organization with a Board of Directors.  We welcome the public to our board meetings and support groups.  For more information about NAMI El Dorado or to receive our monthly newsletter, contact Jan Melnicoe at jan@namieldorado.org .
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“Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed.” Herman Melville
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April 1, 2016, We wrapped up the Nomadic Shelter again for another year. We had a total of 188 persons registered and staying during this season. We want to thank all of those who volunteered in some way to make this possible for the homeless population.
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The REWARD
I was at the gas station filling up when a pick-up truck stopped behind me to also fill up. A young man got out of the back seat of the pick-up and came to me, shook my hand and said “thank you, I have a job and a place to live now, I’m off the streets and just wanted to thank you for all you do.” WOW!! I did not recognize him or was not able to place him, but that was a very big lift to a day of giving out 44 some tents and bags and receiving maybe 7 or 8 “thank you.”
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Your contributions to JSS provided 44 tents and bags that were given out on April 1 at the Solid Rock Foundation shelter as well as Christ Like Services. Financial contributions in 2015 were sparse, making our distribution below what we anticipate for the rest of 2016. The combination of one tent and one sleeping bag that we give to our homeless population costs JSS about $50.00 for each set. Those we give to sign a statement agreeing to receive only one tent and one sleeping bag within one 12 month period, and that the tent is put in a legal location. JSS now has 98 tent and bags somewhere, someplace, in or around El Dorado County. We figure that we are about 20 tents short and 10 bags for 2016.
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“The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm. It’s dangerous because of those who watch and do nothing” …………….. Albert Einstein
Apply that to our homeless and dejected citizens.
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Donate clothing and/or money to JSS to be distributed to our homeless population. Contact me, Ron Sachs, at
….Ron@JobsShelters.Org ……

I’ll come pick what you have to offer up.