Four More Homes Furnished
On August 22nd, thanks to a generous community and fabulous volunteers, Welcoming Home was able to furnish and outfit four more apartments to create safe, comfortable homes.
Home 1
Theresa, Bruno, and their 18-month-old baby girl were referred to Welcoming Home by North Marin Community Services
This delightful young family previously shared one room of an apartment with several others. They are incredibly grateful to now have a place of their own to call home.
Bruno emigrated from Guatemala at the age of 17; the rest of his family still lives there. He speaks English well and works at a local grocery store, where he hopes to continue learning new skills and advance into the food preparation department.
Theresa graduated from high school in El Salvador and loves to cook. Bruno says she's an amazing cook! As soon as Theresa improves her English skills she hopes to work in a restaurant. Fortunately, Theresa's sister lives nearby and helps care for their baby girl.
One of their happiest pastimes is taking their daughter for walks around the neighborhood and playing with her on their patio.
Bruno and Theresa are excited to begin this new chapter and create a warm, welcoming home where their family can continue to grow.
BEFORE
BEFORE
BEFORE
Return Home
When they arrived home, the family was awed by the many changes in their new home!
The colorful area of the living room with a toy kitchen and mini library immediately caught the toddler's eye. She ran to open all the appliance doors and then, pulling out books for mommy to read, she climbed onto the big, comfy couch.
Mom and Dad were delighted with the extra storage, beautiful furniture, rugs, bikes and a new patio set.
They were especially touched that one of our artist donors created a piece of art celebrating each of their native countries.
We parted with full hearts.
Home 2
Home 2 is a blended family with six children ranging from 2 to 18 years. They were referred to Welcoming Home by North Marin Community Services soon after moving into their new home.
Their previous home was plagued by ongoing infestations that caused damage to most of their belongings and furniture. These conditions created stress as they struggled to replace ruined items and meet the family's basic needs.
It was difficult to afford the furniture and household items needed to create a comfortable and stable living environment due to significant financial hardship.
They are very grateful to be in a safer home even though they had to move in with very little.
With support from Welcoming Home and our wonderful Marin Donors, this family received the furniture and household items they need to create a safe, comfortable, and functional home where their children can thrive.
Return Home
The front door opened and the youngest family members stopped in the doorway in disbelief. Was this their home?
The empty house they’d left that morning was totally transformed: a comfortable living room with TV, a dining table that would seat all eight, a homework desk, and a bookcase full of books. Additionally, a screened off sleeping area for mom and dad had "magically" appeared!
Excitedly running to their own bedrooms, the children immediately began to play with the new toys they found on their bunk beds, carefully chosen by a thoughtful volunteer.
The 10-year-old (the only girl) beamed when she saw her own special pink bed and storage space for her keepsake treasures.
The two older boys, eyes shining, opened the drawers to their new dressers (finally, somewhere to store their clothes), sat at their new desks, and examined the personal soccer and music touches the volunteers had added just for them.
The parents couldn’t contain their tears of joy and gratitude; at one point, mom cried in the arms of one of the volunteers, overwhelmed with appreciation to see this comfortable home for their large family.
And to top it all off, they now have a colorful outdoor patio, complete with a rug, comfortable chairs and patio dining set.
“Can we eat outside tonight?”, the youngest asked. Immediately Dad said, "Yes!".
We left the family in a flurry of tears and hugs, feeling so grateful for the chance to help this lovely family.
Home 3
Paul is a single man who loves being near the water and has built a strong sense of community on the Bay. Originally from New York, Paul moved to California to attend UC Santa Barbara and found a home on the West Coast.
A lifelong sports fan, he faithfully follows his favorite teams. Most games were enjoyed by listening on the radio from his boat, but when there was a big matchup, he was known to row ashore to watch alongside other fans.
Paul is thoughtful, resilient and deeply appreciative of the community he has built over the years. His faithful cat is his constant companion and an important source of comfort, offering him unconditional friendship through life's ups and downs.
As he begins this next chapter, Paul looks forward to having a safe, stable place to call home while remaining connected to the community and waterfront that have meant so much to him. A furnished home will provide not only security but also the opportunity to continue building relationships, pursue the interests he loves, and create new memories in a place of his own.
Paul was referred to Welcoming Home by Episcopal Community Services.
Return Home
Our amazing Welcoming Home volunteers did their magic and transformed an empty sterile apartment into a warm and secure living space for Paul.
Unfortunately, due to a conflict he was unable to meet with the team at the end of the day.
Home 4
Cruz recently moved into a new home. He was referred to us by Marin Center for Independent Living.
In 2022, while working at a grocery store, he was tragically injured when a toxic chemical splashed into his eyes, causing him to lose his sight. Since then, he has been unable to work.
His ex-wife, Patricia, is his main connection to the outside world. She comes to help a few hours each day while dealing with her own health issues.
As he settles into his new home, Cruz is looking forward to having a comfortable, welcoming space of his own. He was in need of a few essential furniture pieces to help organize his belongings and provide a comfortable space to relax and enjoy his new home.
Return Home
When the Welcoming Home volunteers arrived at Cruz's home, all his belongings were in large garbage bags, crowded around his small apartment. To make room for a new bed and other much-needed furniture, we worked with his caregiver, Penny to sort through his belongings, removing items he no longer needed.
Once the bags of non-essential items were gone, we were able to set up a new bed, a leather recliner, a dresser, side table and many useful items for the kitchen and bathroom.
It was an emotional day for everyone. The Welcoming Home volunteers left feeling grateful we were able to help Cruz and make his new apartment feel a little more like a comfortable home.
