“Our heart is to really leverage the space that we’ve been blessed with for the good of our community,” Hammond mentioned. “As long as I’m here, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens.”
New pathway
When Hammond took the helm in April, he started rebranding the group and refining its message to higher outline its position throughout the neighborhood.
“We’ve had some really good peaks and then some small dips. But that’s life as a nonprofit,” Hammond mentioned.
Hammond’s background as a pastor, mixed with a lifelong ardour for woodworking, made Pals of the Carpenter match like a glove.
A cornerstone of Pals of the Carpenter is its woodworking store, the place folks of all ages and backgrounds can acquire abilities in carpentry and different trades. This system serves a myriad group — college students wanting to discover science, expertise, engineering and math, in addition to adults taken with honing their woodworking experience.
Trying forward, Hammond plans to develop this system in 2025 with the introduction of a makers’ program, which remains to be in its early levels.
“It’s going to be for people coming from socially excluded spaces,” Hammond mentioned. “This will be for those who have lived experiences, whether that’s on the streets, from communities of color, or the queer community — people who want a traditional pathway to woodworking but may not have opportunities in other settings.”
Hammond can be working to safe funding to herald visitor instructors from these communities. The nonprofit not too long ago bought a CNC machine, which is laptop operated and can be utilized to chop, print and create items.
Along with the woodworking program, the group runs a day heart that gives meals, a protected place to hang around, showers and a laundry room.
At present, these companies can be found three days every week, however Hammond’s objective for subsequent 12 months is to increase them to 5 days, which would require extra funding and volunteer assist.
A protected place to be
Nancy Cralley’s fingers gently traced the intricate particulars of a bit of wooden she crafted with a pal to seem like a lighthouse. Its clean floor is a testomony to her hours of cautious work.
Cralley, 82, started visiting the nonprofit a few years in the past. Initially, she would drop off her son. However after a number of visits, she realized it could possibly be a superb match for her, too.
Now, the 2 often go to to get pleasure from arts and crafts, morning devotions and meals.
“This is a venue where everyone is welcome,” Cralley mentioned. “It’s a place for people, like my son, to come and make friends and a place for homeless people to go during the day. It gives people pleasure and a purpose.”
Workers and volunteers say they attempt to create a heat and welcoming place for all visitors.
“We make sure people are seen and heard,” Program Coordinator Danielle Achieve mentioned. “We greet people by their first names and make sure they feel important and wanted. This place is a safe space for people to come, hang out and get resources.”
Whereas chatting with The Columbian, a person walked in in search of a program that wasn’t supplied that day. However employees member Stacy Value nonetheless warmly welcomed him to the day heart to seize a chew to eat and occasional. Later, the person was discovered sipping a heat cup of espresso and chatting with others within the day heart.
“We want to make sure that people feel welcomed, safe and included. We do not want faith-based equaling hate or exclusion. We want faith-based equaling love and inclusion,” Hammond mentioned. “We want to be able to make this a space for everybody.”