ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 24, 1996 TAG: 9611260072
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
This is the time of year when big and little folks who still have faith in Santa Claus are making up their Christmas lists.
Roanoke Area Ministries is no exception. Last year, Santa and some of his friends got together and provided RAM much-needed TV sets, washers and dryers, and carpeting and repairs for the shelter's rotting floorboards.
But because RAM welcomes more than 200 guests each day, things get used, worn out or broken, and there are always new items to add to the list.
These are the things RAM's staff hopes to find under, or at least somewhere near, the Christmas tree this year:
*Food, food and more food.
*Used filing cabinets.
*An IBM-compatible computer.
*Commercial-grade stainless-steel pots and pans for the kitchen.
*All kinds of paper products.
*Cleaning cloths that can be washed, dried and reused.
*Personal items such as aerosol deodorants, toothbrushes, razors, shampoo, lotion.
*Clothing such as socks, gloves, scarves, hats and overcoats.
*People, people and more people.
Most of the agency's work is done by volunteers, said Wendy Moore, RAM's director, and more are needed to staff the shelter desk, the kitchen and the office.
Volunteers also are needed to work with individuals and families to help them get back on their feet by teaching a skill or by providing transportation to a job interview, for instance.
Even those who can't make financial contributions to RAM can help out, Moore said.
"So many of us have skills we don't know we have."
Moore also would like to see more churches participating in Roanoke Area Ministries. Of the 587 religious congregations in Roanoke, only 20 percent of them support RAM's activities.
"We need to be willing to look into the eyes of the poor," Moore said. "They will make as big a difference in your life as you will in theirs."
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