Fay Ternan, Director of Gospel Mission, points out donations they have received from the public, Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
Janice Drennen's service dog Coby, a Heeler-Dalmatian mix, is a favorite at Gospel mission, seen Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
Volunteer, John Darcheville, left, cleans walls while Laura Kotula, right, an employee, washes plates Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
Fay Ternan, Director of Gospel Mission, talks about donations they have received from the public, Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
Fay Ternan, Director of Gospel Mission, points out clothing donations Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
Phillip Kidd, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, turns his plate to show off his food Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
Laura Kotula, right, an employee, holds up a pan of fried rice as she puts it away Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
Fay Ternan, Director of Gospel Mission, talks about donations they have received Monday afternoon in Chehalis.
Volunteers and clients of the Lewis County Gospel Mission both tend to view their interactions as a blessing, said the mission’s executive director Fay Ternan.
The people they serve are often down on their luck and thankful for a hot meal, and the volunteers typically glean some form of satisfaction in helping out.
“They’re excited to serve. One thing I hear from volunteers all the time is ‘I knew it would be good, but I didn’t know if would be that good. I was blessed to be here,’” said Ternan.
The mission is open seven days a week — and that includes holidays. With Christmas fast approaching, volunteers working that day have long since been scheduled. There will be two teams, one dishing up a hot breakfast and another a Christmas dinner later in the day.
That being said, when asked what someone could do to help people in need over the Christmas season — something simple that most anyone could do — Ternan’s answer circulated around the word “warmth.”
“Warmth can be those things that keep people from being miserable,” she said.
Warm socks, water-resistant gloves (not mittens, she said; they absorb water), blankets and maybe the most coveted item of them all: a tent. Tents aren’t a frequent donation, but when they show up, they go fast. Once upon a time, the mission would receive tents through a federal surplus. But, an influx in serious natural disasters meant such resources were for the most part used up elsewhere.
“If somebody dies of hypothermia because we don’t have enough resources to keep them warm — I don’t care if they’re a drug addict or an alcoholic or if they’re mentally ill, if they’re just not nice people — I don’t think it’s right that they should be out there in the cold to the point that they just go to sleep and don’t wake up,” said Ternan.
A stack of several blankets and a couple sleeping bags were piled up in a pantry inside the mission Thursday afternoon. The volunteers working in the back room said they didn’t expect they would last too long before they were snatched up.
“I can’t imagine being in a car with a blanket and not much else … and no place to go on Christmas morning,” said Ternan. She said later: “You might be able to do something for somebody else, by being that warm blanket or that warm pair of socks or even, it sounds a little simple, a little bag with a Christmas card that says whatever it was you wanted to say — that somebody notices them.”
The mission, on Christmas, gives out some gifts they receive from area churches. There are three area churches that set up giving trees for their congregations to peruse. They take a look through listed items needed. Many of them are practical like warm clothes or rain gear. Some are more playful — “whimsical,” Ternan said — like a pair of movie tickets.
“I’ve had people come back and say ‘I haven’t been able to do that in years,’” she said.
She anticipates the number of people they’ll serve on Christmas will be somewhere in the 50s.
Ternan said the mission is in need of regular volunteers. They need people to work in the office and kitchen area, and to lend a hand on a large and ongoing renovation project. The project is to revitalize parts of the building left unusable by flooding years back. It’s been a journey since they obtained the building in 2014, and is worked on as donated funds allow.
When someone volunteers, Ternan said, she sits them down and tells them what it’s going to be like and what is expected of them.
“It’s hard to coordinate a bunch of last-minute offers to help, as much as we know their hearts are in the right place,” she said.
It’s not often easy to find help, though, because the mission has daytime hours only, which doesn’t usually work with others’ day jobs.
Anyone interested in being a volunteer can contact the Lewis County Gospel Mission at 360-996-4474.
