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    Working to improve lives
February 4, 2009

Working to improve lives

Mission plans shelter in Romney, thrift store in Grafton

By Paul Fallon

FAIRMONT — West Virginia Rescue Ministries Union Mission provides numerous service to those in need in the area.

Employees and volunteers at the Union Mission work to improve the lives of those who have fallen on hard times, said Frank Jarman, executive director of West Virginia Rescue Ministries.

A shelter operates at the Union Mission, and the agency also operates the Living Room in Morgantown, which is a day drop-in center for people who have nowhere else to go. The mission also operates a thrift store in Harrison County. The Union Mission also helps those suffering from substance abuse by running a life-recovery program at the Fairmont location where people can go to learn life skills and work to beat an addiction.

And now the mission will be expanding services outside of the three counties where it currently operates, Jarman said.

He and others at the mission are working to establish a shelter for abused women in Romney. The shelter would be the result of a joint effort between the mission and the Eastern Regional Family Resource Network, which operates in Romney, Jarman said.

“They don’t have a woman’s shelter there,” Jarman said. “And they really want one.”

After discussing the possibility of establishing a shelter in Romney with a representative from the Eastern Regional Resource Network, Jarman took the proposal to the Union Mission board. He added that the board was very receptive to the idea.

“Our board is always looking for opportunities to improve someone’s life,” Jarman said.

He said Romney and Hampshire County were in dire need of a shelter for abused women. According to Jarman, 381 calls were made to the Hampshire County 911 center last year to report domestic abuse.

“They had 381 calls and no one there to meet that need,” Jarman said.

Andrea Cosans, president of the Eastern Regional Family Resource Network board of directors, agreed that there was a need for a shelter in that area. Cosans said she was also excited about forming a partnership with the West Virginia Rescue Ministries.

“We believe that the Union Mission is a really good organization that directly impacts so many people’s lives,” Cosans said.

Jarman said he and members of the Eastern Regional Family Resource Network are looking at buildings in Romney where the shelter can be located. He hopes to have the shelter open in eight to 10 months.

The Union Mission is not only extending its helping hand into Hampshire County, but will soon be opening a thrift store in Grafton as well. The Union Mission currently operates the Penny Pincher thrift store on Fairmont Avenue.

Jarman added that Penny Pincher is so much more than just a thrift store. He said Penny Pincher works with area schools to identify children who are in need of clothing. Penny Pincher will then donate clothes to those children. Penny Pincher will also donate furniture from the store to people who are in need as well.

Jarman said he hopes to have the new thrift store opened in Grafton by June or July.

E-mail Paul Fallon at pfallon@timeswv.com.

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