By Adam Cheshire
CEO of Stockton Shelter for the Homeless
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in SSP’s 2015 Annual Newsletter. We believe in the power of SSP to continue to change lives, and we hope you do, too. Please consider a tax-deductible donation today.
Stockton Shelter for the Homeless is the largest emergency shelter in San Joaquin County and one of the largest in California, providing shelter and other services to over 350 homeless individuals each day. Nearly 30% of these are children. When we were first approached by a donor to fund the construction of a new playground, we were so excited by the opportunity to improve the lives of our Shelter kids on such a large scale. But when we examined the costs involved, it was disheartening to learn how much of the funds would need to go to installation of the playground and how much smaller that playground would need to be as a result.
Not only did SSP volunteers step up to help homeless families but they did so with smiles and laughter, and in record time.
That’s when we decided to reach out to Sierra Service Project. We weren’t sure if installing a playground was something they would even consider. Not only did SSP volunteers step up to help homeless families but they did so with smiles and laughter, and in record time. It was such a joy to see such a dynamic group of young people showing us all what hard work and dedication look like!
SSP met the challenge in a big way and made the lives of San Joaquin County’s homeless children immeasurably better as a result. By volunteering their time, sweat, and love to install this playground, we saved over $5,000 which allowed us to put those resources towards the kind of playground that our kids deserve. We could not have completed a playground of this size and scale without Sierra Service Project, and we cannot begin to express how grateful our staff and residents are for their work.