Students Organize Bags of Wishes Campaign

To Raise Funds and Awareness for New Homeless Shelter

By Casey Dainsberg (Story #7)

The holiday season is officially underway. The annual hustle and bustle, family, friends, thanksgiving, deal shopping, and present giving, are familiar to many. As the weather gets colder it is easy to curl up by the hearth and savor the spirit that comes along with the season. However, for many the holiday season looks quite dismal. There are families suffering from homelessness, unable to fully enjoy the holiday season. Ours to Serve House of Hospitality is a homeless shelter in Bemidji which seeks to provide shelter for homeless families. Currently it is working on building a new facility called Village of Hope. Just last week a campaign drive on the BSU campus wrapped up, the proceeds of which went to benefit this organization and the families it helps.



The current facility, Ours to Serve House of Hospitality  but will be replaced
in the coming months by the newly built facility, Village of Hope
(Photo used with permission from Village of Hope Web site)



Rebecca Hoffman is executive director of Ours to Serve House of Hospitality, as well as the new Village of Hope facility in Bemidji. Hoffman began her college education at BSU. A Political Science major, she worked as a director of Ours to Serve House of Hospitality in Bemidji after graduating in 1994. She left Bemidji for graduate school in 1997, and after earning a degree in Social Work, marrying, and two children later- Hoffman and her family found themselves moving back to Bemidji where Hoffman now works, once again at the Ours to Serve House of Hospitality, and Village of Hope. “I understood how desperately our community needed an adequate response to family homelessness,” she said, “and with a little more experience/education under my belt I felt I could contribute to the cause.”

With her job comes a variety of different responsibilities, and Hoffman finds herself wearing many different hats. “I am responsible for the overall operations of the agency. That includes payroll, accounts payable and receivable, writing grants, implementing grants, hiring staff, [and] supervising staff.” However, much of her time has been absorbed by a whole new project, developing the new homeless facility, Village of Hope.

The Village of Hope is currently being constructed,
 and hopes to open in January of 2011.
(Photo used with permission from Village of Hope Web site)

Village of Hope will be an, “Emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness. It will replace Ours to Serve House of Hospitality, which is licensed for just six beds. Village of Hope will be licensed for 28 beds.” Hoffman explained in an e-mail. The new building will operate on the same budget as the current Ours to Serve House of Hospitality. The Village of Hope, among having more beds will have some two-room apartments for larger families. Also, each family will be able to have their own dinner table for the duration of their stay. According to their Web site, to be eligible for the Village of Hope an individual must be homeless as defined by MHFA guidelines. There must also be at least one dependent child under the age of seventeen, no current abuse of alcohol or drugs, and the individual must be willing to accept group living conditions, just to name a few. Village of Hope is slated to open in early January, 2011.



Village of Hope as it is expected to look once construction is complete.
(Photo used with permission from Village of Hope Web site)



 Hoffman is no stranger to the hard work and challenges associated with running a social program that requires donations and volunteers to run effectively. “I've done 100 percent of the fund raising for Village of Hope and have implemented over $1.4 million in private and government grants to create the facility. It hasn't been an easy process.” she said. Hoffman praised the Bag of Wishes campaign, which wrapped up on the BSU campus last week, saying in an e-mail that it “has been a major success over the past decade.”

Having worked in Social work since she graduated college, Hoffman explained that Bags of Wishes was started nine years ago by students at BSU as part of a class, “They were dismayed with how cold it was in the shelter. They wanted to do something that would ease the burden of operating the shelter so they decided to begin Bags of Wishes.” She said.



“It’s about getting the school involved in donating to the homeless shelter,” said Rachel Osowski, a BSU Senior and social work major. Senior Stacy Adams, also a social work major agreed, adding, “It doesn’t matter how big the donation is, just small things help too.” Both Osowski and Adams were involved in the Bags of Wishes campaign on the BSU campus. Osowski and Adams are each involved with the Social Work Club, which was one reason they chose to be involved in this drive. Adams said that both girls also got involved in the drive to fulfill a class requirement. Osowski explained they needed to volunteer for a macro community-level event. “It’s a taste of what we may be doing in the future,” Adams said, “So it really helped to just see the insides of this and be involved, and it’s for a good cause.”

Dr. Cheryl Byers, associate professor and director of the BSU Social Work Program, is the Social Club adviser. Byers said her role regarding Bags of Wishes is mostly hands-off. “Faculty just don’t get involved in it much at all, which is what I think is cool about it,” She said. However, there are times when her involvement is sought. “Only if there’s a problem,” she said with a chuckle and quickly added that there had been very few problems this year, save for a few minor glitches. Byers also explained that she is there to “answer questions, oversee it, [and] help out when needed.”



Adams briefly explained what Bags of Wishes was, and how it was organized on the BSU campus this year. Student volunteers met and stuffed bags with flyers containing a Village of Hope wish-list, as well as envelopes for monetary donations. Students then visited the academic buildings and residential halls on campus, where they usually left bags hanging on the door handles of student dorms and faculty offices. Students were asked to donate items on the wish list, however, in the faculty bags an extra envelope was included for monetary donations. Boxes were then placed in various academic and residential buildings for students and faculty to drop-off their donations. The boxes were emptied every day during the duration of the drive. Byers noted that last year over $1100 were raised and approximately 600 items were donated. “It’s become a critical piece for this homeless shelter that rely on those donations that BSU provides.” said Byers.

This year, Bags of Wishes raised $495 dollars in monetary donations. Individuals also contributed several other items to help out the new Village of Hope Facility. Items varied from deodorant and diapers, to coloring books and Yahtzee Games. Also among the donations were food items, cleaning supplies, and clothing. In total, the hard work of the students who volunteered in the drive amassed approximately 438 items.

Both Osowski and Adams agreed that next year they would love to see more volunteers be involved in the drive, even if it is volunteering for just one day. As she reflected on her experience, Adams said she felt good about what they had accomplished, saying “It really does feel good to know that you’re helping a vulnerable population even if it’s a small amount or a large amount…you could give one item for five bucks… it doesn’t matter, it’s worthwhile and it contributes to a good cause.”

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