St John’s Hospice/Shelter: Restorative Moments for the Men

The men from St. John’s Hospice, a shelter for men experiencing homelessness, came every Thursday, April – November, to work on various projects about the grounds. One example was their participation in organizing the delivery of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation tree give-away. The men helped sort and tag trees and group trees for orders. The ten men and two staff teased, talked and worked hard alongside Cranaleith staff and volunteers. Because their visits to Cranaleith are so helpful to both staff and residents, St. John’s Hospice requested to keep coming through the fall. We have reestablished strong connections with the St. John’s staff, connections that had broken down during the pandemic. After several months of encouragement and friendship-building, twenty-five staff and residents came to Cranaleith on July 10 to reflect on “Hopeful Living.” Through art, poetry, song and conversation and the beauty of Cranaleith (even on a sweltering day) everyone relaxed and was renewed.