Craig’s Doors Board of Directors: Jim Lumley, Michael Giles, Matthew Berube, Gerry Weiss & Shari Carlson, Executive Director

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Wednesday in celebration of Craig’s Doors’ 15th year anniversary at Mill River Recreation Area. It was a beautiful, albeit windy, afternoon and the compassion and care was palpable.

Shari Carlson, Craig’s Doors Executive Director & Jo Comerford, MA State Senator presenting a citation

A special thank-you to our elected representatives who provided special citations and recognition in honor of our milestone anniversary and for providing 15 years of shelter and services to our most vulnerable neighbors experiencing homelessness- thank you U.S. Senator Ed Markey, U. S. Congressman Jim McGovern, State Senator Jo Comerford, and State Representative Mindy Domb. Thank you also to our Amherst Town Manager, Paul Bockelman, Immanuel Lutheran Church Pastor Jeffrey Schulz, and the Craig’s Doors Board of Directors for your dedication to our community, and for speaking about Craig’s Doors’ impact.

“Thank you for these wonderful citations in honor of Craig’s Doors’ 15th anniversary. The community members and neighbors we serve across Craig’s Doors programs are amazingly resilient and resourceful survivors who have each endured a myriad of lived traumas coupled with cascading economic hardships. Across the U.S., and in Hampshire County, the community is experiencing the pinch of:

increasing costs of housing, gas, and food
decreasing access to healthcare, mental healthcare, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and other benefits

Our most vulnerable neighbors are also at high risk of:

physical, emotional, financial and sexual abuse and exploitation

The survivors, from the young adults through the elderly, from the employed to those living with fixed income, to those working to address major medical and mental health situations are finding ways to manage and negotiate each day.

Some of the individuals we serve struggle with substance use disorders, originating in pain management as well as in self-medication to deal with the daily traumas of a harsh life.

Craig's Doors is one piece of the puzzle toward reengagement and connection. Connection to stabilization services and connection to a community and places of belonging. Connection to feeling accepted, seen, and worthy -- and a safe place to lay down and rest.

From current shelter guests:

I am grateful for the opportunities you guys have given me to grow through the things I need to be better. I am grateful for the resources you have given to make my life better. My favorite staff is Mara- very kind and considerate of others’ well-being. I am grateful for the peace and kindness that is spread through the environment. I am grateful for the first time in a while to feel like this place is a home in my own way. I am grateful for all staff being very nice and understanding.

I’m grateful for how caring and understanding staff is. My mental health hasn’t been great and staff noticing and being so kind means a lot more to me than I probably show but to be fair I have a tough time showing things in general but everything truly means a lot to me. And I’m also grateful for the roof you provide for me and the dinners and donations that you provide and the extra snacks that staff sometimes gives out to make sure that we’re fed, it’s more than a lot of people do at other places and have personally done for me, so thank you all of Craig’s Doors for being more than a shelter but more of a family and a comfortable place for me to be in. It means the world to me. With my whole heart.

From community members at our Resource Center:

You guys saved my life so many times.

You were my last stop before my last stop. If I got one more cold shoulder, I was going to drive to the bridge and be done with it.

If it wasn’t for you guys I would’ve froze to death.

That’s the beauty of this place. A community that otherwise would’ve never even known each other can unite over hardship and survival.

I want to close with an experience I had last week at the Amherst Block Party. There was a group of middle schoolers who walked up to take some of the free candy we were giving out. When we shared with them about the work we do at Craig’s Doors, they listened intently and even asked a few questions. They drew some of the celebratory messages hanging today, then one young lady pulled out her own money and placed a one dollar bill into our donation jar, thanking us for the work we do.

This interaction was a reminder about the importance of discourse and engagement with our neighbors. The young group’s kindness and compassionate actions of drawing messages and choosing to give a dollar- from her allowance- since she was too young for any employment- reminds me that we can always find connections and what I call our common humanity.

Frankie MacNeish, Craig’s Doors Food Security Manager

Will you rise to this young student’s commitment? What can you give to support the work of Craig's Doors and our community members experiencing homelessness today? If you look on the table or on the back of your program, you will see a QR code to make a donation today. One dollar, fifteen dollars, 15 hundred or even 15 thousand in celebration of the past 15 years and a look to the next 15!

Please stay, enjoy snacks and cake, and introduce yourselves to each other- let’s keep growing this caring community we call Craig’s Doors!”

So now, a couple days later, I ask all of you to consider how you can turn your desire to help into compassionate action.

Please reach out to me if you would like me to speak with your civic organization, classroom, or other group.
Check out our list of in-kind donation needs.
Create your own fundraiser to benefit Craig’s Doors. Let us know your plan so we can help promote your efforts today.
Would you like to learn more about what we do and how you can make your gift even more impactful? I’d be happy to sit down and chat with you.
Make a one-time donation to support us as we prepare for the winter season.
Set up a recurring monthly donation to help sustain our work throughout the year.

And please, let’s continue to strengthen our connections. Say hello and look our unhoused neighbors in the eye when you pass each other on the street. You never know how impactful your smile and greeting may be.