Rockford’s Carpenter’s Place in need of pots and pans

Online Staff Report

Rockford’s Carpenter’s Place, which helps homeless people rebuild their lives by providing basic and practical life services, is in need of pots and pans.

In an e-mail, Carpenter’s Place said: “Great news! We are getting an average of one homeless person per day into stable housing … apartments they can call home after years of being homeless!

“Sad news — we are completely out of pots and pans for setting up apartments; we have none.”

Any size of pots and pans can be taken to Carpenter’s Place, 1149 Railroad Ave., Rockford, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday-Friday. Cash donations can also be made by indicating the funds are to be used to purchase pots and pans. Cash donations can be made at www.carpentersplace.org or by mail.

For more details, contact Mary Devine, director of in-kind donations at Carpenter’s Place, at (815) 964-4105, ext. 203, or maryd@carpentersplace.org.

According to Carpenter’s Place’s website, the organization accomplished the following in 2010:

• 284 guests were transitioned to stable housing — apartments, supported or transitional housing;

• 94 guests obtained employment, 75 full-time;

• 197 guests secured their identification cards or driver’s licenses; and

• 109 guests completed job development training.

Also in 2010, Carpenter’s Place reported it provided the following basic services to its guests:

• 23,888 meals were served (breakfast and lunch);

• 4,740 calls were made by guests in they day room;

• 5,117 bus tokens were distributed;

• 1,854 showers were taken;

• 1,439 loads of laundry were done; and