Chapelwood Foundation blesses women in recovery

I give my 18-month-old daughter a cuddle before bed. We rub noses and giggle. We are safe and happy as we settle into our bedtime routine of a story and a prayer. My husband takes his turn cuddling with her and puts her to bed. My thoughts drift to my visit to the Santa Maria Hostel where the mission is to empower women and their children to become alcohol and drug free. I visited the hostel earlier that day. I wanted to see how they had used the grant money from the Chapelwood Foundation. I was delighted to discover that the funds had been put to great use remodeling and updating the kitchen and dining room.

Santa Maria Hostel’s previous kitchen was small, loud, crowded, cluttered, and hot. Due to the minimal size of the kitchen and dining area, residents ate in three shifts, not as a community. Freezer and pantry space were scant, requiring that the kitchen staff make numerous trips to the grocery store. Their grant proposal was submitted after an electrical fire shut down the kitchen. The new kitchen was a dramatic update from the old. It can be described as calm, spacious, uncluttered, relaxed, and refreshing. The women at the Santa Maria Hostel were given a more peaceful space to share their meals, a place where they could eat and enjoy fellowship as a community. The ambiance of the new dining room most assuredly makes a considerable difference in the quality of the residents’ conversations and interactions.

The more I reminisced about my visit, the more my heart ached for the families who were struggling with addiction to the extent that all stability was lost, and their children were taken away. One story in particular came to my mind. A young mother was sitting in the courtyard with tears rolling down her face. She uttered to a staff member, “I can’t do this.” She explained that she had lost her three children due to substance abuse. Sadly, her life had gone completely off course. A staff member remarked to me that despite all of this woman’s issues, one could still see that she is a mother worried about her children, a mom just like me. A staff member urged her to stay at the Santa Maria Hostel, and within three months of being in the care of people who saw her full potential, she was awarded custody of all three of her children and was working a part-time job.

Perhaps like me, you sometimes wonder if the organizations that receive donations and grants are truly good stewards of the money entrusted to them. I must say, I was amazed at the passion, dedication, and resourcefulness displayed by the Santa Maria Hostel’s utilization of the grant funds.

As I think of the woman in the courtyard, I pray that her family feels as safe and secure as I feel with my family.

Laura Childers

For more information about Chapelwood United Methodist Church.
For more information about Mercy Street – a Chapelwood ministry outreach that provides a safe harbor for the hurt, lost, and seeking to experience God’s grace.