Emergency Shelter Partnership (ESP)

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone from our congregation who come forward each winter to help host the homeless in our church. We ask for your prayers for our homeless guests and for all the people who will come together to help feed them and give them shelter this coming winter season.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
LCR's next ESP dates: November 17-23, 2008

In December 2004, local churches and temples in the Mount Kisco, NY area meet to discuss what to do something about the growing homeless issue in Northern Westchester county. A group of concerned individuals, lead by Pastor Paul Alcorn of Bedford Presbyterian Church, Bedford, NY, and Mel Berger of The Mount Kisco Drug Council, began a network of congregations to reach out to those in need in our community by providing the basic necessities of a hot evening meal and a warm place to sleep for the winter season.

Launched in January 2005 and run till April, the program proved a successful way to combat the tragedies of past years when local homeless have died due to exposure in freezing temperatures. Our church hosted the ESP group twice in early 2005 (in January and March) with an outpouring of compassion from many LCR volunteers who came forward to help.

ESP picked up again for it's second season which lasted from November 2005 to April 2006. LCR is proud to have taken part in the ESP program in November and we thank everyone of our members who helped make it happen: cooking and delivering hot meals to the church, preparing toiletry care packages for our guests and staying overnight to assist this year's bi-lingual staffers, Anibal & Yojani. Our group of guests was up in numbers that year (to about 20 guests from the previous year's 12), and everyone was friendly and thankful. Members of our LCR Praiseband even treated our guests to a musical concert one evening, to everyone's great enjoyment.

In December 2006, we hosted an average of six guests per night with so many of our members coming forward to help (thank you all!) We invite you to read our December 2006 ESP Blog. Our next hosting week is November 17-23, 2008. We look forward to being of service to our community by extending Christ’s love is a positive, genuine way.

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- Volunteer to stay over for one night to assist staffer
- Donate one home-cooked meal
- Donate beverages (soda, juices) or breakfast bag snacks (hardboiled eggs, donuts, bagels, fruit, etc.)
- Donate clothing, towels or toiletries for our guests (used seasonal men's clothing, hats, jackets, backpacks; new underware, undershirts, socks; backpacks, soft luggage)

ESP volunteer coordinator, Paroo Streich with ESP staffer Anibal Martinez

MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO ESP:
If you would like to make a tax-deductable contribution to the Emergency Shelter Partnership (ESP), please send a check, payable to "Mount Kisco Drug Council/ESP" to:

MORE:
CLICK to email Paroo Streich, ESP Volunteer Coordinator
CLICK to download official ESP BROCHURE
CLICK to read about LCR and the Midnight Run program