An Introduction to Project Hospitality

So, after working as a missions intern at Project Hospitality for a month, some of you may still be wondering "What is Project Hospitality?"

First off, you can check out the website at ProjectHospitality.org.  There is a lot of information about the organization on their website.  As well, a simple Google search will reveal the good work that is happening through this organization of many, many people.  For example, check out this link about Hurricane Sandy relief.

Project Hospitality has now 4 major missions:
1) Feed the Hungry
2) House the Homeless
3) Provide Support and Assistance to Those Living with HIV and AIDS
4) Superstorm Sandy Relief

Feeding the hungry is the mission and the reason it all began.  An RCA (Reformed) pastor was riding the ferry one night when he realized the significant number of homeless and it broke his heart.  He went home and made a bunch of sandwiches and began passing them out.  This was the beginning of Project Hospitality.
Feeding the hungry continues to be a huge priority for PH and this is accomplished through food pantries, mobile food trucks, and soup kitchens.  This is a picture of the main one on Bay Street.

Housing the homeless is also extremely important to Project Hospitality.  New York City runs homeless shelters in every other borough except Staten Island.  The city doesn't run any on Staten Island and Project Hospitality runs them all.  PH has men's shelters, family shelters and even a youth shelter.  There's even a drop-in center and respite bed program.

A huge population that Project Hospitality loves to serve are those that are HIV+ or battling AIDS.  Project Hospitality has created a center called the SHINE (Self Help In a New Environment) Center, which allows those living with HIV or AIDS to still work to achieve their dreams in a supportive environment.

And, as probably one of my more renown ministries in the world outside of Staten Island, they have been on the front lines of providing relief after Superstorm Sandy.  One of my first tasks was stuffing envelopes with info to be sent with checks to those who received aid from a benefit.

As for me and my role in Project Hospitality, well, it's like a machine.  I haven't quite yet found my place, but I have found a few things that I've enjoyed working on and have even completed a few things.  I will, in time.

Check out what I found at my desk: hundreds and hundreds of paperclips -

Also, one of the perks of this job has been giving people what they need.  When a giant retreat center closed, they donated all of the furniture to Project Hospitality.  This is a load of desks being removed from the center and loaded into a storage container to await their new homes.

This is the crew from the office celebrating the new job of a former coworker at a local restaurant - 

And, last but not least, check out the organization in the food pantry at El Centro!  This was a huge mess a week ago, but now it's getting organized and efficient and more excellent by the week :)  This has become my sorta pet-project.