A Home of His Own
Gaither spent over a decade sleeping outside in his tent before he met our PATH team. We are thrilled to share that Gaither, for the first time in his life, now has a home of his own! We are so excited for Gaither and his future.
Community Support - Creating Plarn Mats for Our Guests
A friend of the IRC devotes lots of her time creating plarn ("yarn" made out of plastic bags) mats for our guests. She is elderly, so in order to safely deliver the mats, she calls ahead and lets us unload the mats from her trunk. We're so grateful for her commitment to serving our guests this way and it is such a bright spot in our day to look at all of the plarn mats and remember how much our community supports and cares for our guests during a very chaotic time, in ways big and small
Staff - This is Where I Needed to Be
Melanie started volunteering with the IRC during the winter emergency shelter in 2015 and was hired shortly thereafter. She is currently our Administrative Coordinator and loves working at the IRC because of the values and mission of the organization and the deep belief that we are all worthy of dignity and respect. Melanie says "I knew from the first time I came into the IRC that this was where I needed to be."
Remembering Our Dear Friend and Founding IRC Member, Skip MacMillan
We loved listening to Skip tell the story of the first days of the IRC. He loved to share that the IRC was built on community and how just a small group of people came together to solve a problem.
He talked about how the first day they picked up just a few people in the church van and took them to our original location on Bessemer Ave. By the second day, there was a line stretching down the block. “It was in that moment that we knew there was a much bigger need than we originally thought,” Skip would say.
Skip was proud of the IRC. He was proud of the headway we have made, how much we've grown, and the impact of this organization on our community. Thank you, Skip, for your long-time service and commitment to dignity.