Shelter from the Storm Breakfast

Shelter from the Storm Breakfast 2010

Thank you to all who attended 'Shelter from the Storm'!

The Lara family were featured in the Shelter
from the Storm Breakfast program May 5 at
the DoubleTree Hotel Sacramento. They were
also featured in a live KCRA broadcast
from the event. See photos from the event
by going to our Facebook album.

SHELTER FROM THE STORM 2010

Thank you to the more than 500 men, women and children who filled the DoubleTree Hotel Grand Ballroom on May 5 for our annual Shelter from the Storm Breakfast.

And a special thanks to those who shared their stories of lost hope and renewed faith to all in attendance. Their courageous tales are stories that we just won't forget - they're stories we can't forget.

Alex and Margie Lara and their kids were the family next door. Gainfully employed homeowners raising kids blessed with the requisite playthings and hi-tech devices.

Then the couple lost their jobs and everything changed.

"I was like all of you, I always thought I would have a home," Alex told the audience at this morning's breakfast. "I never imagined this could happen to me. I am the provider. I felt defeated. I felt inferior, like I let my family down. We were truly at our lowest point. We continued praying as a family for God to direct us." [To read the Lara's presentation, click here.]

"I had a stepfather that was putting a gun to my head, playing Russian roulette - things like that," shares Robert King, a former Volunteers of America program recipient in this year's Shelter from the Storm video presentation. King was joined by fellow alum Tyrone Shelton, who has an equally powerful story: "Basically I knew when (my mother) loved me and when she didn't - and that's when she didn't have her fix of dope. ... I've seen a lot of things no child should be exposed to." [to view this video, click here]

While their stories are different, what the Laras, Robert and Tyrone share are stories of near-hopelesness, which were turned around through the intervention of Volunteers of America and its supporters, who gave them all second chances.

"We are so thankful for your contributions in helping us in our desperate time of need," said Margie Lara. "We are proof that a little goes a long way."

Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada President/CEO Leo McFarland celebrated the accomplishments of 2009, including the establishment of the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, and the opening of the Residential Family Center shelter and the Sacramento Senior Safe House. In doing so, McFarland acknowledged the support of such organizations as HomeAid Sacramento, and explained the need for continued support of donors and volunteers throughout the community.

"It is programs like these that make up our $1 million gap in funding, approximately 9 percent of our annual budget," he said.

McFarland ended his address with a pledge to do all he can to make sure that the safe house, as well as all of the programs under his direction, are there for those in need. "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

[Read Leo McFarland's entire speech by clicking here.]

If you missed today's breakfast, and are considering making a pledge, please print a copy of the Shelter from the Storm Breakfast pledge form by clicking here. Complete the form and mail it to: Shauna Ross, Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada, 1900 Point West Way, Suite 270, Sacramento, CA 95815.

To donate online, click here.

To see photos from previous Shelter from the Storm Breakfast events, click on the following:

2009 Shelter from the Storm Breakfast

2008 Shelter from the Storm Breakfast