Storefront Shelter

We are currently taking a break from Storefront.

Sponsorship - Sign-up Today!
Sponsor a PB Middle Storefront Teen Shelter Dinner for eight hungry teens and their four night counselors. Families and organizations are needed to sponsor a dinner on the first Thursday of each month. Depending on the situation, you and your family may be able to stay and eat at the shelter when you drop off the meal. Email [email protected] for more information or to sign-up.

DETAILS

Storefront Teen Shelter Dinner Sponsorship - Coordinated by PB Middle Builders Club

First Thursday of each month (October - June)

The Storefront is located in Bankers Hill. It is a confidential location and address will be provided to families sponsoring a dinner.

Disclaimer: Due to the nature of the shelter, at times you may be walking into a "situation" with an individual, or an unexpected schedule change such as arrival of the mobile health clinic, other deliveries, etc. Know that there are times when it may be chaotic and sometimes staying for dinner is not an option. You will not be notified ahead of time whether or not you are able to stay.

1) SIGN-UP

Email [email protected] to sign-up to sponsor a meal. Jenny Sims (IB Coordinator/Builders Club Advisor) will email you all of the details that you need such as the information below, the address, and a contact phone number. By signing up you are commiting to bring a hot meal, drinks, a side, and desert to the shelter at 6:45pm.

2) INVESTIGATE/PLAN MENU

Under normal circumstances a PB Middle family, staff, or partner organization plan a healthy and warm meal for 12 (8 hungry teens and their 4 night counselors), however, we encourage you to call, a few days to a week ahead, to confirm your meal and see if they have any additional request such as vegetarian or gluten free optoins. They end up getting a lot of pizza, tacos, and pasta, so it's nice to check-in before you go so they get what is really needed/wanted. In the past, their favorite meals have been Chile Verde, with homemade rice and beans with fresh tortillas. Other favorites have been Orange chicken, with chow mein, fresh veggies, and rice or a "build your own" burrito.

We encourage parents to have their PB Middle student/child be the one to coordinate as much of the service project for his/her family as possible: investigate, plan, take-action (shop, prepare and then go and eat) with the teens at the shelter. Have your child keep a journal recording all of the steps he/she completes before and during the dinner.

Suggested Menu:

  • Entrée (roasted chicken, chile verde, orange chicken, build your own burritos, etc.) Vegetarian (option or "build your own" is great)
  • Vegetarian side (almost always a vegetarian in the shelter at any given time), salad or healthy veggie
  • Drinks (juice or non-caffeine soda/punch)
  • Dessert (something easy to grab and store is best such as brownie bites, muffins)

3) TEXT JENNY SIMS

Parents texts Jenny when leaving house to deliver - Jennifer Sims (PBMS).

Number is provided when you sign-up (Please keep my private number confidential please and do not share with your child)

4) DELIVERY

There is always a lot of traffic on 163 south or getting into Hillcrest at that time of night. Please leave plenty early to ensure you arrive on time and have a few minutes to park, set up and introduce yourselves to the night. On street parking is difficult in the Hillcrest/Bankers Hill area.

Deliver meal by 6:45, dinner is served around 7:00 Storefront Teen Shelter

Address is on door (will be provided when you sign-up), facility does not have a sign for safety purposes.

Walk into gate and turn left. Go in the doors and you'll be greeted by the night counselors. They may or may not ask you to stay to eat with them based on children/teens privacy, night event, confidential issues with particular individuals staying at shelter for the night.

Bring hot food ready to serve.

They already have plates, napkins, and utensils.

Bring disposable pans since they don't have a lot of room and cannot store and return items.

5) ANONYMITY/REFLECTION

Teens come from all over the county as some are picked up by the shelter van in other neighborhoods, including our own beach-area. Please discuss with your child that anything you hear there, anybody you see there, or anything related to the shelter location, etc. must stay anonymous for the safety of the residents. Some have left home for safety reasons. Discuss that we are not allowed to talk to friends or share with other students, or classmates about who or what we may have seen there; we cannot talk about any identifiable information outside of the walls of the shelter. Do not take photos please. Do not post anything on social media following the visit.

Sometimes you are able to stay and eat dinner at the shelter. If planning to do so, make sure your meal is large enough to include you and your family.

Where you stay and eat or not, allow time for your own child to process their experience. Do not make them talk about it that night on the way home. Often times, our children are hit with the reality that the residents are just regular teens, going about regular teen schedules, but on top of regular day to day homework, school stress and sports, they have to deal with an additional circumstance of being homeless in San Diego County. They sometimes will feel more comfortable talking the next day or even next week about their experience.

6) SERVICE

After the service project (dinner) the child can send documentation of the steps he/she completed to investigate, plan, take action (prepare and deliver) and then a reflection on what worked, suggestions for improvement, and what he/she learned from coordinating the dinner and we will give the student service hours for their work. No photos inside the shelter though. Send to [email protected] with a total of hours spent on service project. All of the time your PB Middle child puts into planning the menu, preparing, delivering, and attending dinner at the Shelter, earns service credit documented in your child's planner's service sheet and confirmed by Jenny Sims after the event.

Thank you again for all you do for our greater San Diego community.

-Jenny Sims (on behalf of PB Middle School Builders Club)

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.