Can you volunteer?
Who Are Our Guests?
Who Are Our Guests?
We need volunteers to serve breakfast
especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Come find out what a rewarding
experience this can be.
CALL 509-455-9019
Who Are Our Guests?
Who Are Our Guests?
Who Are Our Guests?
“In most cases, to be homeless in America is not a sign of laziness or incapacity, but an indicator of people who struggle immensely, both physically and emotionally, to survive against the odds.”
We serve all who come to us seeking to be fed: young and old, men and women of any race or creed. Most are homeless or
“In most cases, to be homeless in America is not a sign of laziness or incapacity, but an indicator of people who struggle immensely, both physically and emotionally, to survive against the odds.”
We serve all who come to us seeking to be fed: young and old, men and women of any race or creed. Most are homeless or underemployed; some are fighting addiction or illnesses, and all struggle immensely to survive against the odds.
Meet "Can Man"
Who Are Our Guests?
Meet "Can Man"
He never misses a meal at Shalom, a disheveled gentleman with a thick gray beard and sharp eyes beneath bushy brows. He shuffles across the street to wait for his “Grab and Go” box. He is always polite and insists on waiting in line, though volunteers offer to fetch food for him. Street people call him “Can Man.”
At a table set up for stud
He never misses a meal at Shalom, a disheveled gentleman with a thick gray beard and sharp eyes beneath bushy brows. He shuffles across the street to wait for his “Grab and Go” box. He is always polite and insists on waiting in line, though volunteers offer to fetch food for him. Street people call him “Can Man.”
At a table set up for student nurses on a cold morning, he sits for a minute after eating and tells a young nurse he might have frostbite. She gently peels off his glove to expose deep frostbite to his index finger along with second degree frostbite to several others. He removes the other glove. The student nurses cleanse and wrap the damaged fingers.
Their supervisor provides an experienced voice. “If you don’t want to lose your fingers, you’ll need to have that treated. Can I look at your feet?”
Volunteers help him inside and the nurses remove his shoes and socks to expose frostbitten toes. A tub of warm water is provided, and they gently clean and dry his feet; treat and wrap the toes. Clean socks are found, and his shoes put back on.
“This isn’t enough to save your finger and toes, you know,” the supervising nurse tells Can Man. “I don’t want to lose any of my fingers or toes,” he replies softly. “You’ll need to go to the emergency department for further treatment, or that is going to happen,” she warns.
“All right. I’ll have them looked at. I don’t want to lose my toes,” Can Man mumbles unhappily. CHAS volunteers arrange an Uber to take him to Sacred Heart. He hasn’t yet returned to Shalom. We hope to see him again, toes and fingers whole.