As some of you may know, our Sierra Roots board president, Janice O'Brien, suffered a heart attack shortly after her 45th wedding anniversary. On March 7th she had a four way bypass open heart surgery, and is now home recovering.
 
Janice is really appreciating phone calls, flowers, and visitors. Needless to say, the board of Sierra Roots, the many volunteers, the homeless people that we serve are all relieved that she is doing so well.
 
 


Heidi Hall: Moving the ball forward on homelessness
This exceedingly wet winter has been a tough one for our homeless population. Each new storm brings a recurrence of ongoing challenges, and a scramble to meet them. 
Advocates and residents of the County who live or work closest to this population have become increasingly frustrated as they wait to see us invest in solutions they have requested for years. Helping the chronically homeless and those with mental health and addiction challenges is heartbreaking and challenging work. We are lucky to live in a community where volunteers step up to help time and again, and where many good programs to help them already exist.
However, solving the ongoing challenges to this problem are not as easy as they look.  Read More:
Complete article was published in The Union on March 10, 2017 
Village Project Update
 
In late 2016, Sierra Roots seriously considered purchasing a property near Lake Vera - about 3 miles outside of Nevada City. After significant research on some legal issues attached to the site and meeting with planners and directors of Nevada County, it was determined that that particular property was not a good choice for our project.
More recently, there have been new folks who have shown an interest in assisting with the project. They will be excellent additions to the Project Development Team. They have a variety of experience including county planning requirements, land use issues and sustainable development.
We are excited to have these new additions to the team and will be meeting soon to talk over the "Next Steps" in moving our dream to reality.


Woodland 'Opportunity Village" seen as a 'bridge' to housing

Don't call it "transitional housing," rather consider Woodland Opportunity Village another "bridge" to get people off the streets and put a roof over their heads.
The idea to provide small, one-room homes to the homeless has been under consideration for several months and was presented to Woodland's Homeless Subcommittee this past week by two of the group's board members, Kathy Trott and Dr. Romie Holland.
While still in its infancy, the basic proposal is for congregations of local churches and community groups to build between 25 and 30 "homes" that are about 8-by-10 feet and then move them to a one-acre site somewhere in the city.  This "micro-housing" would provide residents with security and stability.   Read More

Article in the Woodland Daily Democrat by  Jim Smith, was published on 2/10/17

Gratitude for our Volunteers!

The Sierra Roots Thursday lunch provides a nutritious lunch and gathering place for Nevada City's homeless, thanks to a multitude of caring individuals.  Our new winter/spring location at the First Baptist church in Nevada City is a warm and welcoming location - our Thanks to Pastor Roland and all the great people there.  We have a very generous and caring core of volunteers who prepare delicious and nutritious meals - we could not provide these meals without their continued support.  And over the past couple of months we have gained nearly a dozen new volunteers who are jumping in to keep our program strong.
  To all who have been there from the start and to all who have recently joined us in providing this service to our community - Thank You!!! 


Saint Patrick Faith Formation children have again this year chosen Sierra Roots as their Lenten project.  They packed 34 lunches which were distributed to the homeless in Nevada City on March 19. They are also preparing caring bags for distribution and collecting money to buy new boots for the homeless. The congregation at Saint Patrick's is pitching in with the fund drive. Thank you to Saint Patrick Faith Formation children and staff for this generous gift.


Cold Weather Shelter

Sierra Roots operated the cold weather shelter at Seamans' Lodge and at NC Veterans Hall for a total of 20 nights during the winter. We fed and housed up to 35 folks, 5 dogs and one cat! Thanks to our awesome volunteer team, who brought food, and monitored the shelter. Special thanks to  Alex Huey and Jacquie Janssen, and to our SR board vice president, Keith Cantrell, who operated the shelter solo on several of these nights. !!!

A Community Crocheting Together

Nevada County Pets of the Homeless and Families in Need have undertaken a project to make "plarn" (plastic yarn) from recycled plastic bags and use it to crochet sleeping mats for homeless citizens of Nevada County. The mats provide a cushioning barrier between the ground and body to help retain body heat while sleeping. Mats can be easily cleaned and dried when they become soiled, and they are lightweight and portable.

Big thanks to Christine Woodward, spearheading this project with Nevada County Pets of the Homeless, Yuba River Charter School Handwork Class, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Alta Sierra, and ten anonymous individuals throughout the county who love to crochet for a great cause!


VOLUNTEER MEETINGS

Next Monthly Volunteer Meeting  Thursday,  
April 13, Thursday,  at 1 PM
First Methodist Church ~ 433 Broad Street, Nevada City


Our monthly meetings are intended for those who are just becoming acquainted with Sierra Roots and want to learn more about the various volunteer opportunities and for those already involved to keep you all up to date, informed and involved in discussion and planning.

Not everyone  is aware of the many ways Sierra Roots engages and builds community with our homeless friends while we continue to look for land for our Village.  We'll talk about some of the lesser known volunteer opportunities at this meeting also.

When you shop at AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to
Sierra Roots  ~   Bookmark the link:

 
Support us every time you shop!