Sunflower Harbor has been busy busy this month! Everyone is working hard to make Sunflower Harbor better than ever!
Running at capacity all month. We are
rearranging to be able to increase capacity and still follow social
distancing guidelines, including building walls to divide our dorm into 2 rooms. Just in time, too because another vet arrived this week! We lucked out and got someone who knows horticulture and many handyman skills! He will be a great asset to Sunflower Harbor! We look forward to seeing the changes he makes to the ranch!
Guys are meeting their personal goals
like crazy!
Aaron is back in college! He's been working really hard to complete the courses online and make good grades all while helping where he can around the ranch.
Jarrod is working on getting his CNA transferred to Texas. Meantime, he's working to keep Sunflower Harbor running smoothly and doing a LOT to make the place better! He's cleaned and reorganized the kitchen, sitting room, both bathrooms, and is currently working on the dining room.
Everyone helped rebuild the fence to keep our pups in. Rogue and Longhorn had been finding new escape routes every time we fixed one. This time, I think we've got them beat! They have half the yard space as before, but its still a large area to play in. The part of the yard we blocked the dogs from will be part of our garden this year.
We're running several fundraisers right now! Go to our website at www.sunflowerharbor.org to donate! You can now donate through paypal, cashapp, ourregistry, or facebook!
bunkhouse to more than double capacity
veterans fund to help with anything our vets need
job search fund to help with clothes, ID, and such needed to secure jobs
legal fund to help file for nonprofit status
general fund for anything we need to keep running
We have higher than normal case management hours per client. That's really where programs like ours make a difference. We can spend more time per person than some programs so we are able more to give the tools needed to stay stable once they are on their own two feet. We have time. There is no rush or time limits to get them gone so the next person can be served. Our only restriction is the lack of funds.
My name is Aaron Feldkamp. I am a homeless non combative Vet currently enrolled in Sunflower Harbor work program. Today is Decemeber 17th 2020. I have lived with two of the most kindest people I've met since I came to Texas. I've been here since Novemeber 30th. I got a job last week at KFC. The things we do around the house is clean learn how to budget and adequately handle our finances. If a person comes here and doesn't have thier identification card or license the program director Mrs. Darlene will help them figure it out. She is very nice and gentle and extremely supportive and understanding for someone like me coming from a different lifestyle and background not many have. She is the nurturer of the Sunflower Harbor part of Mr. And Mrs. Anton Rogers ever evolving and developing management. Mr. Roger's brings an entirely different aspect to this program. Where as Darlene harbors us homless men and women Mr. Anton is all about giving a hand up not a hand out. If you dont know how to work or never hold down a job it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is your consistency in trying your best always. The rest is if you dont know something Anton or Darleene will teach you. I've learned many things from Mr. Anton such as to not be so hard on myself. Not to rely in others and to make everything happen and manifest in my life by my own hands and with faith and confidence in myself. Also, I've learned consideration for others is a kept component of working together in a household setting. Since I began my program at Sunflower Harbor I have got a job and also work for Anton and Darlene when im not working my 9 to 5 job. We do things like clean the property up and deliver fast food and grocery products to people who can't or dont have the immune system to go out shopping in this pandemic.
Www.sunflowerharbor.org Monthly update December 1, 2020
Working with the homeless in Abilene is a blessing. The city and people are dedicated to making homelessness in Abilene a rare and temporary thing.
We are currently actively helping one person in our work program. He is currently occupying multiple positions. Workers do not have to live in the dorm to work for us, but our current helper is. We have a fundraiser set up in our registry to help our helper get on his feet. https://www.myregistry.com/giftlist/sunflowerharbor
Capacity with Corona limitations is 3. When corona passes, we will have 6 beds.
Still fundraising for bunkhouse building materials. bunkhouse will more than double our capacity for the work program. Check out our registry for our needs for the next building phase. https://www.myregistry.com/giftlist/sunflowerharbor
Reminders:
Blessings bags. We are currently out of bags and everything that goes into them except toothbrushes. We rarely make a new contact now that we've been active in abilene a while. The way we've been handling it is asking what's needed and having one of our Abilene sunflower ladies deliver it. We're doing a lot of follow up. Checking on people we've placed and those we couldn't. Followup is sometimes the difference between someone being able to stay in stable housing or homelessness reoccurring. We use the blessings bags to break the ice and find out what their real needs are. We've given out 12 since last blog, all adjusted for the individual's need.
Placements. We do most placements using direct help from locals. Our Abilene Sunflower Ladies are great at networking. They find placement for the individuals we come in contact with. We can not place everyone, but Abilene has an excellent network designed to help the homeless, so those we can help are easier to help and we've been able to help many more than I ever imagined this year! 3 placements have been made since last blog. One of our biggest hurdles for placements is down-payment + first month's rent which not everyone qualifies for help with. Once we have other projects handled financially, We'll be setting up a fund for this. Look for it sometime in 2021.
Job search fund. Our job search fund helps with clothes, and identification needed to land a job. Job search fund can always use help. Many times, we can get locals to directly pay for these things, but not always. The fund is set up as a loan, but not everyone who uses it pays back, so it does need a boost from time to time. https://www.myregistry.com/giftlist/sunflowerharbor
Www.antonrogers.com is still running fundraisers for blessings packs for us. Bookmarks, t-shirts, bags and more are on sale there and all procedes from the Sunflower Harbor tab go to buying supplies for blessings packs!
SUNFLOWER HARBOR HOMELESS OUTREACH
www.sunflowerharbor.org
Www.sunflowerharbor.org
Our board meeting was Nov 1 via text to allow for social distancing and safety.
1. Implemented a registry for Sunflower Harbor on registry. Com
https://www.myregistry.com/giftlist/sunflowerharbor
I've just begun adding things to it. It should be complete in a week or so, life permitting.
2. We discussed how amazing Sunflower Harbor is doing and how we surpassed some goals and fell short of other goals set this year.
Goal 1: 12 placements. Achieved 60 direct placements and 6 who entered our intake program achieved their stable housing goal
Goal 2: make enough in donations to support our mission. We have not achieved this, but we have done a lot more than we ever dreamed we could! We need more community support to make this goal.
Goal 3: networking. We've surpassed our expectations on this. We now refer to several agencies and know where to get help locally for most anyone who wants it.
Other milestones:
329 blessings bags
7 people helped getting ID
8 job placements, but lots more job referrals
2 of 2 veterans who stayed in our emergency housing moved into stable housing
Direct placements of 5 veterans in stable housing with the help of various veterans programs
We discussed fundraising.
We set up a registry at myregistry.com that we will be adding to over the next couple of weeks.
Visit https://www.myregistry.com/giftlist/sunflowerharbor
We have a long list of needs on our website www.sunflowerharbor.org under outreach and in house tabs that will slowly be integrated into our registry.
1. Currently, we are raising money to finish our bunkhouse. We also take donations of materials new and used that we can use to build. We need insulation for the next step and yellow romex.
Share the fundraiser! Current layout for the bunkhouse will allow us to have emergency housing for up to 15! We have beds for 5 at the moment. The bunkhouse will have a full kitchen, full bathroom with a shower, and laundry room. We have many things we need for it, but still lack many building materials and appliances. We would like it built before the weather gets dangerously cold. If you can give toward this project, please do! Winter is coming on us quick!
More twin beds will be needed once it's complete.
Capacity is currently 6 beds plus couches. The bunkhouse will increase this.
2. We need interview clothes for the job search project. We also need cash funds to pay for ID. We currently have funds for 1 person to get ID.
3. Antonrogers.com is running a fundraiser for us with t-shirts, necklaces, bookmarks, totes, and more
4. Tentatively scheduling a 2 night valentine's fundraiser. Details to be hashed out by the event committee soon! Halloween went well, raising almost $100
5. Memorial plaques will be available for purchase soon. You can choose to have them shipped to you or put on the wall of the SunflowerHarbor bunkhouse.
6. Random needs: need truck to pick up donations and haul off trash. Need the tiller fixed for the spring garden. We need veggie plants for the garden. Seeds did not work last year. We need our own commerce website to put items we have for fundraising. We need leather to make more purses and wallets with sunflowers on them for fundraisers.
7. Gift cards while we do not give out gift cards, they do allow us to buy specific things we need. Stores we buy things from a lot are dollar tree (blessings bags), home depot (building supplies for bunkhouse), Walmart (most other needs)
We then reminded everyone to go out in teams. Do not approach strangers alone.
We need a couple more people on the event committee! You don't have to be a board member to help!
Item donations have been awesome this week! Getting more and more of the household items we need for the bunkhouse!
Reminders:
Blessings bags. We are currently out of bags and everything that goes into them except toothbrushes. We rarely make a new contact now that we've been active in abilene a while. The way we've been handling it is asking what's needed and having one of our Abilene sunflower ladies deliver it. We're doing a lot of follow up. Checking on people we've placed and those we couldn't. Followup is sometimes the difference between someone being able to stay in stable housing or homelessness reoccurring. We use the blessings bags to break the ice and find out what their real needs are. We've given out 34 since last blog, all adjusted for the individual's need.
Placements. We do most placements using direct help from locals. Our Abilene Sunflower Ladies are great at networking. They find placement for the individuals we come in contact with. We can not place everyone, but Abilene has an excellent network designed to help the homeless, so those we can help are easier to help and we've been able to help many more than I ever imagined this year! 12 placements have been made since last blog. One of our biggest hurdles for placements is down-payment + first month's rent which not everyone qualifies for help with. Once we have other projects handled financially, We'll be setting up a fund for this. Look for it sometime in 2021.
Job search fund. Our job search fund helps with clothes, and identification needed to land a job. Job search fund can always use help. Many times, we can get locals to directly pay for these things, but not always. The fund is set up as a loan, but not everyone who uses it pays back, so it does need a boost from time to time.
Www.antonrogers.com is still running fundraisers for blessings packs for us. T-shirts, bookmark, totes, bags and more are on sale there and all procedes from the Sunflower Harbor tab go to buying supplies for blessings packs!
SUNFLOWER HARBOR HOMELESS OUTREACH
www.sunflowerharbor.org
Sunflower Harbor Homeless Outreach www.sunflowerharbor.org
New stuff:
We've raised just over $89 of the $5,000 we need for the bunkhouse project! Keep up the great work! Share the fundraiser! Current layout for the bunkhouse will allow us to have emergency housing for up to 15! We have beds for 5 at the moment. The bunkhouse will have a full kitchen, full bathroom with a shower, and laundry room. We have many things we need for it, but still lack many building materials and appliances. We would like it built before the weather gets dangerously cold. If you can give toward this project, please do! Winter is coming on us quick!
Reminders:
Blessings bags. We are currently out of bags and everything that goes into them except toothbrushes. We rarely make a new contact now that we've been active in abilene a while. The way we've been handling it is asking what's needed and having one of our Abilene sunflower ladies deliver it. We're doing a lot of follow up. Checking on people we've placed and those we couldn't. Followup is sometimes the difference between someone being able to stay in stable housing or homelessness reoccurring. We use the blessings bags to break the ice and find out what their real needs are. We've given out 11 since last blog, all adjusted for the individual's need.
Placements. We do most placements using direct help from locals. Our Abilene Sunflower Ladies are great at networking. They find placement for the individuals we come in contact with. We can not place everyone, but Abilene has an excellent network designed to help the homeless, so those we can help are easier to help and we've been able to help many more than I ever imagined this year! 1 placement has been made since last blog. One of our biggest hurdles for placements is down-payment + first month's rent which not everyone qualifies for help with. Once we have other projects handled financially, We'll be setting up a fund for this. Look for it sometime in 2021.
Job search fund. Our job search fund helps with clothes, and identification needed to land a job. Job search fund can always use help. Its our most used service. Many times, we can get locals to directly pay for these things, but not always. The fund is set up as a loan, but not everyone who uses it pays back, so it does need a boost from time to time.
Www.antonrogers.com is still running fundraisers for blessings packs for us. T-shirts, bookmark, totes, bags and more are on sale there and all procedes from the Sunflower Harbor tab go to buying supplies for blessings packs!
We still have tickets for Halloween! All overnight rooms are taken, but we look forward to seeing y'all at the party Halloween night! Tickets are $10 and can be paid for through our PayPal (please leave a note thats what the money is for) or can be bought under the Sunflower Harbor tab at www.antonrogers.com
Procedes from Halloween tickets are earmarked for the bunkhouse project.
SUNFLOWER HARBOR HOMELESS OUTREACH
www.sunflowerharbor.org
Sunflower Harbor Homeless Outreach www.sunflowerharbor.org
Reminders: board meeting November 1, 2020 via text. If you'd like to be a board member, contact kristy@sunflowerharbor.org before October 23. You can help shape the direction of Sunflower Harbor homeless outreach!
Dues are also due before November 1, 2020 for 2021.
This week, we have been concentraiting our efforts on fundraising. Several projects need attention.
Bunkhouse. Our bunkhouse estimate to turn an existing structure into housing is $5,000. We have raised less than 100 this week. Current layout for the bunkhouse will allow us to have emergency housing for up to 15! We have beds for 5 at the moment. The bunkhouse will have a full kitchen, full bathroom with a shower, and laundry room. We have many things we need for it, but still lack many building materials and appliances. We would like it built before the weather gets dangerously cold. If you can give toward this project, please do! Winter is coming on us quick!
We have looked into tiny homes and while we would like to build some in the future, we've opted to put this project on the back burner for cheaper options such as the bunk house which will serve more. Also on the back burner is fixing the 2nd house on property due to the cost involved vs how many people it will allow us to help. Still fixing one thing at a time in the 2nd house as we can out of our own pocket, but Sunflower Harbor money can be better spent on other projects at the moment.
Blessings bags. We are currently out of bags and everything that goes into them except toothbrushes. We rarely make a new contact now that we've been active in abilene a while. The way we've been handling it is asking what's needed and having one of our Abilene sunflower ladies deliver it. We're doing a lot of follow up. Checking on people we've placed and those we couldn't. Followup is sometimes the difference between someone being able to stay in stable housing or homelessness reoccurring. We use the blessings bags to break the ice and find out what their real needs are. We've given out 7 since last blog, all adjusted for the individual's need.
Placements. We do most placements using direct help from locals. Our Abilene Sunflower Ladies are great at networking. They find placement for the individuals we come in contact with. We can not place everyone, but Abilene has an excellent network designed to help the homeless, so those we can help are easier to help and we've been able to help many more than I ever imagined this year! 1 placement has been made since last blog. One of our biggest hurdles for placements is down-payment + first month's rent which not everyone qualifies for help with. Once we have other projects handled financially, We'll be setting up a fund for this. Look for it sometime in 2021.
One of the sweet ladies we helped out of homelessness while still in Dallas just bought a house! So proud of how far she has come!
Job search fund. Our job search fund helps with clothes, and identification needed to land a job. Job search fund can always use help. Its our most used service. Many times, we can get locals to directly pay for these things, but not always. The fund is set up as a loan, but not everyone who uses it pays back, so it does need a boost from time to time.
Www.antonrogers.com is still running fundraisers for blessings packs for us. T-shirts, bookmark, totes, bags and more are on sale there and all procedes from the Sunflower Harbor tab go to buying supplies for blessings packs!
We still have tickets for Halloween! All overnight rooms are taken, but we look forward to seeing y'all at the party Halloween night! Tickets are $10 and can be paid for through our PayPal (please leave a note thats what the money is for) or can be bought under the Sunflower Harbor tab at www.antonrogers.com
Procedes from Halloween tickets are earmarked for the bunkhouse project.
SUNFLOWER HARBOR HOMELESS OUTREACH
www.sunflowerharbor.org
Roads are icy so we're all staying in. Spent much of the 12th doing a cat rodeo. Rounded up all the barn cats and ferals to bring them i...
