Air Age Media’s Yvonne DeFrancesco and Erica Driver volunteered at the Open Door Shelter in Norwalk, CT serving up lunch and dessert.
The Open Door shelter gets its name 7 days a week. 365 days a year. Their mission is to effectively address the causes and complexities of the homeless and working poor by providing shelter, food, clothing, case management services, treatment services, transitional planning for short and long-term goals, subsidized housing, education, employment, and a path towards independence and success.
Yvonne and Erica worked with the others and served up a scrumptious lunch that included deviled eggs, chicken with peppers, rice, salad, and fruit for desert. “We had a great time preparing the food. I especially loved meeting some of the residents, and seeing how much they looked forward to the meals served at Open Door Shelter,” Says Erica Driver.
The Open Door Shelter provides shelter nightly with over 95 beds in the Norwalk facility as well as operates the Manna House kitchen and pantry. They serve meals three times a day (over 20,000 a month) and provide boxed and canned goods to the working poor to help them make ends meet. That is approximately 60,000 meals per month to individuals and families in our community.
The shelter operates primarily from private donations, with less than 40% of their operating budget coming from government funding. 90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to providing food, shelter, and assistance to those in need. The board is comprised entirely of uncompensated volunteers.
Please consider a donation today and visit the Open Door Shelter website here.