| Q: |
Who is Martha’s Village named after? |
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The biblical Martha was known for feeding Jesus. We embraced the philosophy that the hungry
who come for food were like Christ and initially named our outreach
Martha’s Kitchen to reflect that. |
| Q: |
Why did Martha’s Village become a partner of
Father Joe’s Villages? |
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In addition to feeding the homeless, there was the need for emergency and transitional housing for our neighbors in need. With the donation of land and money, a search began for a successful shelter to model. Martha’s Village embraced Father Joe’s Villages’ nationally acclaimed life-changing programs. Partnering with Father Joe’s Villages made it possible for Martha’s Village to better help our neighbors in need. |
| Q: |
Does the money you raise stay in
the Valley? |
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Yes. All the contributions made to Martha’s Village stay in the Coachella Valley to help our local neighbors in need. |
| Q: |
How much money goes to
provide services? |
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83 cents of every dollar goes to Martha’s Village programs. The rest pays for administrative expenses. |
| Q: |
What causes homelessness? |
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Different situations cause people to become homeless, including
job loss, substance abuse and domestic violence. Something
happens in a person’s life – financially, mentally, emotionally,
physically – to cause them to lose their self-sufficiency. |
| Q: |
How many people live at
Martha's Village? |
| |
120+ people – babies, families, and single men and women – receive shelter and services at Martha’s Village; 70 beds are for children and infants. Families live in a room together and no family in need is ever turned away. |
| Q: |
How long can residents live at
Martha's Village? |
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Residents can live at Martha’s Village up to two years if they follow their rehabilitation plan, but most stay
less than a year. |
| Q: |
What do you do for the residents? |
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Unlike most shelters, Martha’s Village provides residence and meals in addition to educational programs, job training, children’s services, counseling, recovery services and an on-site medical clinic to help our residents regain their self-sufficiency. |
| Q: |
How else does Martha’s Village serve
the community? |
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Martha’s Village serves an additional 500-700 local neighbors a day with access to a hot meal, medical clinic, and an emergency food pantry. |
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| Q: |
What is required of the residents? |
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Martha’s Village is a professional service center where residents must commit to following a structured program of classes, chores and house rules in addition to job hunting, finding reliable transportation and housing in order to receive the services and reach their goal of becoming self-sufficient. |
| Q: |
Has there been an increase in people served due to the current economic situation? |
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Yes. There has been an increase of 30-40 percent, especially for Emergency Assistance to non-residents (e.g. canned and dry goods, payment of utilities, clothing, etc.). |
| Q: |
How is Martha’s Village managed? |
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Martha's Village is run by a board of directors with Sister Patricia Cruise serving as president. All contributions and assets belong to the Village alone and are subject to a yearly independent audit. There are also seven dedicated managers who oversee the programs and services. |
| Q: |
How can I help? |
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Make a financial commitment by contributing to Martha’s Village. We also accept contributions of your time and talent as a much-valued volunteer. Martha’s Village Thrift Store accepts donations of gently used clothing and furniture. You can also donate your unwanted vehicles (e.g. autos, trucks, boats, RVs, etc.). |
| Q: |
Is Martha’s Village a religious organization? |
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No. Martha's Village is a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation. While it is steeped in the Catholic tradition of service to neighbors
in need, Martha’s Village has taken an ecumenical approach to serving
neighbors in the Coachella Valley. From the inception of Martha’s Village in 1990, board
members, staff, volunteers and donors have represented a
multitude of religious experiences, all focused on working together
to help our neighbors in need. |
IN BRIEF
What sets Martha’s Village & Kitchen apart is being a partner of Father Joe’s Villages. Martha’s Village has duplicated the highly successful model of the “one-stop-shopping” approach to assisting our neighbors in need. Martha’s Village provides all of the services that make up a successful rehabilitation program at our site in Indio. Having all services located on site leads to our high success rate.
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