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October 4, 2021 Giving Guide 2021

Net of Compassion

Future Goals

1. Bring to bear the resources and supports necessary to notably reduce chronic and short-term homelessness in the city of Worcester by compassionately guiding those who come in contact with our shelter and outreach programs toward transformed lives

2. Expand the number of people served by all our programs: Meals on Main Street, Grace Pantry, Grace Closet, Hotel Grace, and Joshua’s Showers 

3. Grow the bed capacity, operating hours, and open months for Hotel Grace, our shelter program 

4. Continue to increase the number of homeless persons we encounter through Hotel Grace and persons in our other programs who enter detox and recovery programs to acquire stable housing and secure employment

5. Develop an operational structure that accommodates and supports our small nonprofit as it rapidly grows in capacity, programs, reputation, and budget without losing our relational and grassroots approach

6. Make meaningful and impactful strides towards our vision and goal of creating a multi-agency hub for services and support for those experiencing homelessness in Worcester

Fundraising & Giving Opportunities

Bread of Life Benefit at Polar Park, October 28, 2021 – Sponsorships are available from $10,000 to $500, and auction items are sought.  Information and tickets will be available through our website, Netofcompassion.org or by calling Debra Mooney at 508.783.4177

Volunteer Opportunities

Each of our programs relies on volunteers to support our staff, including but not limited to serving hot meals on Saturdays through our Meals on Main Street program; distributing food and clothes at our Wednesday Grace Closet and Thursday Grace Pantry; setting up and organizing our clothing closet and food pantry space on Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays; supporting our outdoor shower program weekday mornings; and serving meals at Hotel Grace. For a fuller description of duties and to sign up for these opportunities or to make in-kind donations, please visit our website, Netofcompassion.org and select “How to Help.

Giving Opportunities

Annual appeal by mail each winter, donations gratefully accepted online at Netofcompassion.org or by check sent to 674 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610.  

Social Media mini-campaigns for specific needs throughout the year. Find and follow all our social media accounts by scanning the middle QR code on the next page.

A special effort is underway to encourage organizations, small businesses, and individuals to join the Safety Net Society, our group of monthly sustainers that ensures a stable source of income to support our year-round programs.

Meals at the Hotel Grace shelter are provided by local restaurants and teams of volunteers. Contact us at 508-322-1363 to support this important work.

Our clothing closet, food pantry, and Saturday hot meals program are always in need of new and gently-used clothing and nutritious shelf-stable food.

Our shower program relies on donations of shampoo, conditioner, and liquid soap for our dispensers as well as towels, wash cloths, and shower shoes for our guests to use.

Post-Pandemic

At the height of the pandemic, the city asked us to operate Hotel Grace and two other sites as emergency shelters for the homeless, open 24/7.  This allowed us to provide a greater level of service to our guests – bringing the supports and resources they needed directly to them where they were. This allowed us to more effectively refer and support them for recovery, employment, and housing.  We endeavor to continue this model 24/7 operation with wrap-around services.  The pandemic compelled us to separate our food and clothing distribution programs from our Saturday Meals on Main Street program to reduce crowds and found this drew in more families. We were able to serve more people in need. While Meals on Main Street has returned to its former format, offering meals as well as grocery and clothing distribution, we plan to continue to offer Grace Closet and Grace Pantry programs during the week as well. 

MISSION STATEMENT

To improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness in the City of Worcester by providing food, shelter, and clothing, as well as coordinated support and resources to help them on their journey to health, recovery, and restoration, offering each individual dignity, compassion, and unconditional love.

Net of Compassion

674 Main Street, C1
Worcester, MA 01610

Phone: 508-322-1363 

www.netofcompassion.org

Full-time employees: 6 (increases to 20 during seasonal operation of Hotel Grace homeless shelter)

Annual revenues: $1,022,230.64 

Year founded: 2010

Service area: Worcester

Top funding sources:

City of Worcester ESG Grant - 56%

Individual Donors - 18% 

United Way of Central Massachusetts - 1%

Board of Directors

Nadia Ward, Mosakowski Institute at Clark University, Board Chair

John Haffty, Navin, Haffty, and Associates LLC, Vice President and Treasurer

Nelida Machicote, Centro Inc., Secretary

Jason Chan, Seed, Chan, and Associates LLC

Bruce Fiene, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Bill Fredericks, AllCare Medical Supply,

Fr. John Madden, St. John’s Church

Dennis O’Connor, Superior Waste Management Company