Category Archives: Homelessness

Finding Peace at Joseph’s House

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Jane Collins

  A Joseph’s House resident and one of the five pets. Photo courtesy of Joseph’s House. I have only one wish on my bucket list-to spend a month in Calcutta at Mother Theresa’s Home for the Dying. To bathe and … Continue reading →

Posted in Adults, Disease and Illness, Homelessness, In the Neighborhood, People | 1 Comment

Helping out in a Hypothermia Shelter

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Jane Collins

When the temperature gets down in the 30’s, that normally means flannel blankets and nerdy pajamas. For the homeless, sometimes it means sleeping in a church. My husband Mike and I discovered just what that was like when we volunteered … Continue reading →

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Boys & Girls Clubs

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Jane Collins

The girls from the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic site of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington rock their handmade napkin rings.   Good news! The Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic site of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington (BGCGW) in Old … Continue reading →

Posted in Adults, Children, Homelessness, In the Neighborhood, Kids, Mentoring, People | Leave a comment

A Wider Circle: Circle of Compassion

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Jane Collins

Deputy director Dr. Anne Thompson’s favorite part about working for A Wider Circle is when she can’t distinguish the clients from the volunteers from the staff. That pretty much sums up the inclusive, family atmosphere of A Wider Circle. Click … Continue reading →

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Say “Cheese” with FACETS

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Jane Collins

Brooke Keplinger, Maura Williams, Logan Alley at the FACETS’ Opening Doors Benefit Breakfast in May, 2011 Monique loves her job as a sales clerk at a shoe store in one of the area’s most upscale outdoor malls. She rarely smiles … Continue reading →

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Community Lodgings

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Jane Collins

Not long ago I wrote a story about kids who read to puppies. When Community Lodgings asked me to help with Read Aloud, their reading program created for toddlers whose parents attended evening life skills classes, I was ready for … Continue reading →

Posted in Adults, Children, ESL, Homelessness, In the Neighborhood, Kids, Life Skills, Literacy, Mentoring, People | Leave a comment

Cooking with Miriam’s Kitchen

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Jane Collins

  The first clue that Miriam’s Kitchen, located inside the Western Presbyterian Church, is serious about serving fresh food is their herb garden of parsley, basil and rosemary on Virginia Avenue. Inside, the kitchen was an organized beehive of activity, … Continue reading →

Posted in Adults, Homelessness, Hunger, In the Neighborhood, Military and Veterans, People | Leave a comment

A-SPAN: Homeless Soccermania and More

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Jane Collins

I took a soccer class in college nearly, well, never mind, but it was before soccer really caught on in the United states.  I was terrible then and I am terrible now.  And I know I’m terrible now because my … Continue reading →

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ALIVE – The Saga of the Big Red Couch

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Jane Collins

Mark (left) and Mike (right) offload a dresser from the ALIVE truck. The big red couch was too big to be photo-shopped and included in this story. It’s a rainy Saturday morning – perfect for sleeping in, drinking coffee in … Continue reading →

Posted in Donating, Family, Homelessness, In the Neighborhood, People | Leave a comment

Carpenters Shelter/David’s Place

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Jane Collins

David’s Place clients can use the computer room to keep up with news and look for work. It’s Friday afternoon and I’m hanging out at David’s Place, the day shelter component of the Carpenter’s Shelter. It’s rainy and unseasonably cold, … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer-based, Homelessness, In the Neighborhood, People | Leave a comment

Sweet Dreams

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Jane Collins

     I was really looking forward sleeping on the floor of a local church last Wednesday night. That church serves as an overflow hypothermia shelter, and husband and I had volunteered, for the second year, to spend the night there. … Continue reading →

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Get Out and Give Back – It’s What You Get, not What You Give

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Jane Collins

I took almost a year off from writing Get Out and Give Back after retiring from the United States Air Force to decide what I wanted my post-Air Force life to look like. And I realized that I missed writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Homelessness, Humanity, In the Neighborhood, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Dignity or Something Else?

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Jane Collins

Thursday mornings are my most favorite time of the week.  That’s when I spend two or three hours helping the underserved in our community at a neighborhood church.  Most of the people who show up are regulars, and I’ve gotten … Continue reading →

Posted in Donating, Faith-based, Homelessness, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

My Best Birthday Ever

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Jane Collins

Turning a year older stopped being fun at 21.  But my birthday this winter was one of my all-time favorites, and not because I’m closer to caving in to a botox temptation.  It’s because of the full-spectrum events that day.  … Continue reading →

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Smoking Gun

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Jane Collins

I’m as anti-smoking as any non-smoker.  So it was a surprise when I found myself tempted to buy a pack of cigarettes for someone Monday afternoon.  Better explain:  As I waited at the Rhode Island platform to catch the Red Line, … Continue reading →

Posted in Homelessness, Military | 1 Comment