June 1, 2024
To the editor,
After several years of volunteer service, we have made the decision to hand over day-to-day operation of the Greene County Homeless Coalition to the Greene County Clergy Association.
We got involved in this work before the pandemic, when Andy was editor of The Jefferson Herald. With the retirement soon after of Pastor Julie Poulsen from the First United Methodist Church, we became the go-to contacts for those in the community experiencing homelessness. We went about raising money and making the coalition more of a nondenominational effort by opening a bank account under the nonprofit umbrella of the county clergy association.
Not surprisingly, as pandemic assistance ended and affordable housing became scarcer, we have been fielding more and more calls and texts. As of June 1, the coalition has paid for 31 nights already this year at the Super 8, compared to 53 total nights in 2023 and 46 total nights in 2022. We have paid for car repairs and gas; bought temperature-rated sleeping bags; and, we have allocated funds toward preventing local residents from becoming homeless. Needless to say, this has gotten to be too much for two people with full-time jobs! (Andy is now a mental health counselor with a couple dozen therapy clients and Amy is director of the Paton-Churdan Early Learning Center.)
J. Alexander of Central Christian Church in Jefferson and Dan Cunningham of First Baptist Church in Jefferson will be leading the homeless coalition on behalf of the clergy association. Donations should be redirected to: Greene County Homeless Coalition, c/o the Greene County Clergy Association, P.O. Box 145, Jefferson, IA 50129. The coalition can also accept donations via Venmo: @GreeneCountyHomeless
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the following: Sara Miller at Greene County Public Health, who co-founded the original homeless coalition with Pastor Julie; Tom Ganoe of Tom’s Taxi Service, whose services have been invaluable to this mission; to Super 8 Jefferson manager Pankaj Darji (along with Anish Patel before him, and Anish’s father before him), whose hospitality never ceases; and, to Shirley Haupert at the ARC food pantry, who was ready to meet us at the pantry no matter the time or the weather. Also, to those in the community who entrusted us to do good with their money, including Grow Greene County, thank you.
Andrew and Amy McGinn, Jefferson
