House By The Side Of The Road: 200 Friends To Man

Mary Parris is getting on in years. She walks briskly, although with a stoop. On an icy, cold day, she'd probably be I more than comfortable just staying at home. But she isn't at home. Neither are Agnes Neilsen, Emma Binkowski, Arda Rogers, or about a dozen other women. They are part of the volunteer staff at The House by the Side of the Road, located at the County Service Center on Washtenaw. And wintry weather or not, they are on the job. Cali it commitment, dedication, anything you want. What it boils down to mostly is plain hard work. Work that's completely handled by about 200 volunteers. The House serves as a distribution center for clothing and household goods for needy families. Essentially, it takes over the function of several church organizations which have sponsored clothing services for many years. Since its inception in August, 1970, 258,000 pieces of clothing and 35,000 household items have been dispensed. More than 29,000 persons have been served by the House. And, according to Janet Crabtree, director, "Without the volunteers, I couldn't run this place." The volunteers come from all walks of life, all kinds of family situations, although most are married and have children. The volunteer staff is comprised of almost all women. Three men help with delivery and heavy loads. For many, work at the House is their first exposure to 'the problems of the poor. They learn quickly to lend a sympathetic ear and a helping hand. On a typical day, the House is a flurry of activity. Near the window several volunteers stand around a large work table sorting clothing. Soiled jackets go into one pile, torn trousers and blouses into another. The rest is sized and labeled for placement on the racks. In the rear of the crowded room, the seamstresses are hard at work. One volunteer stitches split seams, Another cuts what was once a woman's skirt into child-sized jumpers. And bet ween the racks of clothing and around the shelves of shoes, other volun:eers seurry about tidying things. From time to time, the front door of ;he shop opens and a blast of icy air :omes in with a customer or yet another rolunteer. Armloads of clothing and sacks of hand-knit mittens are delivered. An artificial Christmas tree appears from somewhere. One volunteer arrivés and breathlessly explains how her car wouldn't start and her husband had to come home from work so she could make it to the House on time. "I knew I had to be here," she says bustling in loaded with boxes. "That's the way I wouldlike all my volunteers to be," says Mrs. Crabtree. "They have to make a commitment. This is not something they do when there's notjiing else to do.'' For many, work, at the House is a fulltime job. Mrs. Crabtree spends 40 to 50 hours a week on House business. Her basement, she says, looks like the annex to Ths House by the Side of the Road. Most of the volunteers work one day a week at the House. A few come in oftener, some only get to the House once a month. Technically, the House is open only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, but volunteers begin arriving well before 10. It's usually after 3 before the last customer is checked out and the room is straightened. The idea for the House grew out of the efforts of Mrs. Crabtree and Emma Binkowski. Both had been involved in clothing programs at their churches and realized there was much duplication in the sharing process. Some families were getting help from more than one church while others were bypassed completely, Mrs. Crabtree remembers. The two moved to consolídate church efforts under one roof. The result was The House by the Side of the Road. ' The center has been in operation for more than two years now but it was in the planning stage for nearly a year before it opened. Invitations were sent to 200 churches in Washtenaw County. About 25 agreed to actiyely particípate in the project. The search for a low-rent building in which to lócate the distribution center was highly unsuccessful until Washtenaw County carne to the rescue. The county offered the church women a machine shop in the County Service Center (formerly Holy Ghost Seminary) for the operation. Volunteers transformed the machine shop into a clothing shop complete with racks, shelves, work tables and a fitting room. Although The House by the Side of the Road is located on county property, Mrs. - Crabtree quickly points out that'the center is not a county operation - it's a church operation. Nor does it have any affiliation with the Council of Churches or Church Women United. lts policies are set by the women who run the operation. The county provides the building rent-free and picks up the tab for Utilities. A board of directors, of which Mrs. Crabtree is chairman, determines the center's rules and regulations. Other members of the board include five day chairman; Mrs. Binkowski, clothing chairman; and Agnes Neilsen, sewing chairman. Arda Rogers serves as a representative to Church Women United. Power is vested in the day chainhen who are each responsible for overseeing the operation of the house on one appointed day of the week. They supervise the volunteers and instruct new personnel. Mrs. Binkowski oversees the sorting and placement of clothing in the house. H a Ferênn BH ArborNews December 17, 1972 I Section Two Paaes 1 7 to 32 Mrs. Crabtree has the final say on house affairs and handles requests for customer ref erráis. The cusomters come to the House in droves. Daily, the House serves an average of 20 persons. In a typical month, some 1,300 persons shop there. Customers come to the House by referral from 35 community agencies. The majority of the referrals are from the Washtenaw Department of Social Services and the Health Department. Other referrals flood the center from churches, Ozone House and the University of Michigan International Center. Visits by individual clients are restricted to one every three months for the sake of fairness. Customers must bring a referral form each time they shop at the House. Volunteers at the front desk greet customers and pull their files to check date of last visit and particular items they mightneed. From there, clients are free to roam the store to piek and choose at will from among the clothing and small household utensils available. Everything is free. The House is run on donations of clothing and funds which come in from a variety of sources. At first glance, the room seems to be cluttered with more than enough usable goods. Behind the scènes, however, Mrs. Crabtree notes that there is always a shortage of children's jeans, jackets and shoes since the house serves an estimated five children for every adult. There are problems, too. The House has come under fire several times for not adequately meeting all the needs of the area's poor. Mrs. Crabtree counters that charge: "We make no claims that we can give them everything. We set out to help people. What we give them is a fair share." Then, too, since the center has no facilities for massive repairs, items often come in which just aren't suitable. Clothing which can't be repaired with minor seamstressing is bundled and sent to the Salvation Army along with other "decent discards." Boy and Girl Scout uniforms are given to Scout offices for distribution to needy. members. Athletic equipment goes to the Ann Arbor Pólice Department's program for disadvantaged children. Medical and surgical supplies are earmarked for area :onvalescent centers, while costumes and period clothing go to the Ann Arbor 2ivic Theatre. ( Additional bundies of clothing are set iside for migrant farm workers and dians on reservations throughout Michigan. Church World Service receives clothing from the House for shipment overseas. More clothing and stnall household items are always needed, but Mrs. Crabtree emphasizes that the House is not a dumping station: "Contributions should come in the form of good, clean, usable clothing. Dirty and junky stuff just doubles our work." From the looks of things, the volunteers have plenty of work already. "There's always work to be done," Mrs. Crabtree says, looking around at the stacks of boxes and bags yet to be unpacked and sorted. And, she adds, the volunteers learn as much as they help out. "It's as good for the volunteer as it is for the cliënt. It's a form of therapy." From a broader view, the House seems to have an ecumenical function, too. The volunteers come from a wide variety of religious affiliations, and, says Mrs. Cr abtree, the barriers between different church denominations are broken down. "It's, the essence of Christ's teaching. To help one another. If they believe in this, they 're good volunteers." ' The House takes its name from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's words: "Let me live in the house by the side of the road and be a friend to man." "I try to explain to the volunteers," says Mrs. Crabtree, "we're just here to help. A friend to man - that's exactly what we're trying to be." - - -