CPC is helping the Transformation Village (formerly Christian Help Center)!
Transformation Village
(Formerly the Christian Help Center)
Dignity Day – September 2021
I visited the Dignity Day event at
the Christian Help Center 2166 Sacramento St., Vallejo, Saturday, September 25th
around 9:45am. This event was sponsored
by Solano Dream Center and assisted by Vallejo Together and Christian Help
Center. This was an outdoor event and
the weather was cool, but OK if you wore a jacket. The atmosphere was buzzing with about 10
different agencies offering their services including Solano County Mental
Health, Assistance with finding housing, Vallejo Mobile Health (staffed by
volunteer nursing and medical students from Touro University), portable shower
unit, and spiritual help. Several homeless people were being guided to each
table to find out what the different agencies had to offer. Free breakfast and lunch was being provided
along with new clothes, tents, etc.
Transportation was being provided by volunteers from Vallejo Together to
bring the homeless persons to the event. This is the 2nd event of
this type and the hope is to provide the same event twice a year, spring and
fall. Community Presbyterian Church
donated $500.00 to defray some of the expenses for Dignity Day.
Sandra Collister
Christian Help Centers perseveres through thick and thin!
Our church, CPC, can be proud that we are one of the
supporters of this worthy cause. The
Christian Help Center has been providing shelter and food for the homeless for
the past 38 years and it hasn’t been easy.
Pastor Rey Bernardes is the founder and director for this facility; he
is aided greatly by Pastor Jeff Podemski and Carolyn Burrell, both of whom
labor with low salaries. The homeless
guests also carry out many of the ongoing chores needed to keep the shelter
going; for example, laundry, cleaning, meals.
CPC has been committed to supporting the Christian Help Center for many years. We have shown our support by providing financial assistance including a monthly donation of $100.00, and then during the past year, we donated $1320 to purchase new institutional mattresses which are resistant to lice and bedbugs. And then, last December, we donated to another partner of the CHC, Solano Dream Center, of $1100.00 for new bunk beds for the men’s dorm at the Christian Help Center. The Solano Dream Center (based in Fairfield) has been working in tandem with the Christian Help Center for the past several months.
“Keeping the lights on” at the Christian Help Center, reports Pastor Rey Bernardes, costs $8-9.0000 per month. With no government assistance, keeping up with those expenses and continuing to meet the needs of the homeless is certainly a challenge.
Our church led by the Mission and Outreach committee pledges to continue to support this cause with good listening to what is needed and getting the word out to our members and friends so that they might respond.
Matthew 25: 41 Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
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