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The recent rain has not affected the amount of donations or volunteers at local food pantries. But at the Samaritan Inn, it has forced workers and volunteers to send the homeless to the shelters in Dallas or Sherman and caused a steady flow of issues.
An average of 25 to 30 homeless people come to the Samaritan Inn each week, requesting a place to stay. However the shelter maxed out six months ago by filling its 120 beds, leaving nothing open for those wanting to get in out of the rain.
“When you’re full, you’re full,” said Lynne Sipiora, executive director of the Samaritan Inn. “But the rain has caused more people to want to get in, and we’ve been at capacity and had to turn even more away.”
When the shelter is full, those who come and meet the criteria to stay receive a referral list. In addition, bus tickets or cab rides are provided for those wishing to go to Dallas. Those considering Sherman must have a vehicle or find a ride to get there.
“More people come to us when there are extremes in weather,” Sipiora said.
Under good weather conditions, many people do not want to comply with the rules set at the Samaritan Inn because they lose some of their freedoms, such the time you rise and go to bed, she explained.
“However, months of pouring rain have led those who sleep on the streets to give up their freedoms for a roof over their head,” she said.
According to the shelter regulations, residents must get a job to stay. To get to their jobs, residents have to walk or ride one of the 25 donated bikes in the rain if CCART’s bus schedule does not match their own, or their destination is not on the bus route.
“Thirty percent of residents have cars,” Sipiora said. “And CCART’s route is very limited.”
If residents can’t find a ride or take CCART to work, they were simply out of luck. But a used van was donated by a private donor, and Pat Lobb Toyota made repairs free of charge. With a sigh, she said, “The community has really been very generous.”
Continuous rain has also shown to be a problem for the homeless shelter’s flat roof, which has sprung leaks forming puddles in the building.
“We’ve had lots of leaks,” said Sipiora. “And it’s just been another thing to deal with.”
To control the amount of water on the floor, residents put buckets under the leaks until two maintenance workers and volunteers were able to patch up the holes.
“We couldn’t exist without our volunteers,” said Sipiora.
Throughout the rainy months, Sipiora continued to praise her volunteers as their presence and hard work has endured.
With the amount of rain received, Sipiora stated that at one time the grass outside the building had grown up to her knees. “It was really embarrassing,” she said. However between the downpours of rain, the volunteers managed to go out and cut it.
Across from their building, construction on the Gateway apartments, which is being built for graduates of the shelter, had also been affected by the rain.
After breaking ground in November for the 20-apartment complex - featuring 10 one-bedroom units and 10 two bedroom apartments — Sipiora stated the project had hit a standstill. “We are at least one month behind,” she said.
Sipiora, workers and volunteers all had hopes that the apartments, funded by a private donor, would be complete by Christmas 2007, however they are no longer sure if that will happen.
As the Samaritan Inn has dealt with various rain factors, representatives of McKinney’s local food pantries have said they were not affected.
“The weather has not affected us in any way,” said Carol Bodwell, director of the McKinney Food Pantry. “Things run in cycles at the pantry and donations and volunteers have stayed consistent.”
Volunteers at the Food Pantry sign up for a year of work and some stay for more than 10 years, Bodwell explained. “People have been good about keeping their (volunteering) commitment,” she said. “We’re pretty blessed that things have held for us.” Although Bodwell did add that the rain had made the grass grow tall and the ground around the facility pretty muddy.
Representatives of two other food pantries, The Salvation Army and St. Michael the Archangel Church’s Society of St. Vincent De Paul, both stated donations and contributions had continued despite the rain.
However, during the summer months Captain Curtis Kratz, of the Salvation Army, stated that they were still in need of nonperishable items and school supplies, which is a need every year.
“Our summer needs (at the Samaritan Inn) are Popsicles, Kool-Aid, sun screen and bug spray, toilet paper, paper towels and fresh food,” Sipiora said.
According to January’s Samaritan Inn consumption statistics, residents consumed 775 gallons of milk, 936 dozen eggs and 475 pounds of butter. However, Sipiora would love to see fresh food on her serving tables.
“Fresh food is few and far between,” she said, although she stated once they received 30 watermelons, which was truly a real treat.
However, regardless of what is purchased or donated for the shelter, Sipiora said, “We’ve always gotten by.”
Karen Brosz is a McKinney resident who is studying journalism at Keene State College in New Hampshire.
