Dear valued and appreciated volunteers, staff, partners and friends,
I recently read a story about a 44-year-old woman, Sandy, who became homeless a day before her daughter Ashley’s 16th birthday. For the next two and a half years, Sandy and Ashley bounced around between motel stays, shelters and a pitched tent on hard ground, until an organization affiliated with a faith group helped re-house them. Today, Sandy is 54 years old and working full time for that organization, and Ashley is about to graduate college.
Looking back on their situation, Sandy and Ashley said it wasn’t only challenging – it was humbling, too. “When everything’s taken away from you, what you’re left with is what really matters,” Sandy said.
“The people that love us the most,” Ashley added.
I always say that we’re all in this together. No one person or agency has the solution to homelessness; it is a complex social problem. For many of our guests, the community we have created at the shelter is their extended family. Sometimes, particularly for anyone whose lifestyle is outside the prescribed “norm,” extended families are just as important as biological families – if not more important.
And, like any family, we have our issues. Sometimes, we drive each other crazy. For our guests, it’s difficult enough being homeless, but to live communally and share that home with a hundred other people can be extremely trying.
One of our regular volunteers always reminds me that our guests are our teachers. They afford us the opportunity to practice acceptance, acknowledgment, kindness, compassion and love.
In a similar manner, we offer our guests a helping hand, support, the opportunity to turn defeat into promise and a way out of the emotional morass they might be trudging through. We hope to reignite our guests’ faith in humanity and their trust in people’s better instincts.
This mutually beneficial relationship can be important to all of us. After all, the joy and celebration of the holidays are really all about the annual renewal of hope and promise for a better, kinder world. Sometimes, it is easy to overlook the obvious, that all of this is happening right here in front of our eyes, in our little shelter, in a small city quietly nestled at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
With that thought in mind, I would like to wish each and every one of you a wonderful, joy-filled holiday and to thank you for all you do, big and small, in the service of those in greatest need in our community. Like I said, we are all in this together.
Peace,
Joseph Jordan-Berenis
Executive Director
THE ANNUAL ART SHOW SHOWCASED OUR GUEST’S TALENTS
The Interfaith Community Shelter annual Art Show showcased the talents and efforts of artists who are guests at Pete’s Place. The artists sat at tables among their jewelry, paintings, drawings and photographs. Some answered questions about their work, while others continued to work on their pieces. Interested patrons admired the art, and some bought their favorite pieces from the artists. Our guests received 100 percent of the proceeds from their art sales.
Once a week, art therapist Allegra diCarpegna volunteers for the Shelter’s art program, laying out art media like watercolors, acrylics, pens, crayons, pencils and paper for the guests to use. Rather than giving specific assignments, Allegra encourages the artists to express their creativity. If asked, Allegra will offer instructions on how to draw or paint a certain element for the artwork.
“Creativity is important for those experiencing homelessness,” Allegra said. “Creativity provides hope. It allows people to dream just a little bit and hope that their artwork can help them escape a meaningless, chaotic, and, often, desperate situation. It brings in a sense of decency, too.”
The need for self-expression might seem like a lower priority than shelter or food, but helping our guests in this way meets an emotional need, creates community and offers them a moment of normalcy in what can be a very chaotic time in their lives. Engaging in creative pursuits like art or music can be helpful and calming, can lift spirits and allow for the processing of traumatic events – like experiencing homelessness.
SAN ILDEFONSO PUEBLO DELIVERED GIFTS OF WARMTH
When the Pueblo of San Ildefonso held their 13th Annual Christmas Bazaar, they also asked the community to donate hats, gloves and socks. This year, the Pueblo chose to give these donations to the Interfaith Community Shelter for our guests. Many thanks to San Ildefonso for their generosity – the three large bags will help to keep our guests warm and dry this winter!
WE ARE GRATEFUL
FOR OUR GRANTORS
During this season of giving, we are thankful for the generosity of the grantors who believe in Interfaith Community Shelter’s mission of providing a safe, warm haven for those experiencing homelessness. Pete’s Place, with its partner providers and numerous community volunteers, offers more services with a “one-stop” approach for our guests.
We would like to recognize the following grantors and corporate sponsors for their generosity this year:
Anchorum St. Vincent
Bank of America Foundation
Barraclough and Associates
Celia Lipton Farris & Victor W. Farris Foundation
Century Bank
Christus Health, Dallas
Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center
Church of the Holy Faith
City of Santa Fe
Doris Goodwin Walbridge Foundation
Enterprise Bank and Trust
Eugene V and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
First National 1870
First Presbyterian Church
FHL Foundation
Frost Foundation
Guadalupe Credit Union
Las Campanas Community Foundation
Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation
Nusenda Credit Union
Santa Fe Community Foundation
Santa Fe County
Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Community
St. Bede's Episcopal Church
The Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation
The Kind World Foundation
Thornburg Foundation
Wells Fargo Foundation
Dear valued and appreciated volunteers, staff, partners and friends,
The Interfaith Community Shelter annual Art Show showcased the talents and efforts of artists who are guests at Pete’s Place. The artists sat at tables among their jewelry, paintings, drawings and photographs. Some answered questions about their work, while others continued to work on their pieces. Interested patrons admired the art, and some bought their favorite pieces from the artists. Our guests received 100 percent of the proceeds from their art sales. 
Once a week, art therapist Allegra diCarpegna volunteers for the Shelter’s art program, laying out art media like watercolors, acrylics, pens, crayons, pencils and paper for the guests to use. Rather than giving specific assignments, Allegra encourages the artists to express their creativity. If asked, Allegra will offer instructions on how to draw or paint a certain element for the artwork.
The need for self-expression might seem like a lower priority than shelter or food, but helping our guests in this way meets an emotional need, creates community and offers them a moment of normalcy in what can be a very chaotic time in their lives. Engaging in creative pursuits like art or music can be helpful and calming, can lift spirits and allow for the processing of traumatic events – like experiencing homelessness.
When the Pueblo of San Ildefonso held their 13th Annual Christmas Bazaar, they also asked the community to donate hats, gloves and socks. This year, the Pueblo chose to give these donations to the Interfaith Community Shelter for our guests. Many thanks to San Ildefonso for their generosity – the three large bags will help to keep our guests warm and dry this winter!
