An Update from the House Managers
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, March and April have been quiet at the Guest House. Family Reconciliation Center closed on March 11, and will remain closed through the month of April. Prisons across Tennessee are closed to visitors.
We miss our clients terribly. We watched as the red buds and dogwood trees in our garden bloomed with no guests around to enjoy them. We call our clients regularly to check in, make sure everyone is safe and well, and receive updates on the health of their inmates.
This is not how we imagined spending spring at the guest house: every guest bedroom empty, no Saturday night dinners, coffee brewing each morning for only the house managers. These walls were built to hold a bustling, vibrant community, and for years that's just what they've done. We remind ourselves that this is just temporary and that things will eventually return to normal.
When normal does finally return, we want to make sure Family Reconciliation is poised to serve our families with every resource we can. When we re-open, our clients will be scrambling to book reservations and come see their inmates. However, the majority of our clients also fall into those vulnerable categories that are being hit the hardest by the global pandemic: economically disadvantaged, financially insecure, struggling with poor health, multiple children out of school with limited or no access to resources for remote learning.
Below we've listed a variety of ways you can help Family Reconciliation and our clients during quarantine. We know many around the country are struggling, but if you find yourself in a position to be generous, we hope you will spread that generosity our way.
With gratitude,
Anna & Jason Rodriguez Masi
Help Us Keep the Lights On
Some of our most faithful and generous donors are actually our clients. Family Reconciliation is always free for guests, but many clients choose to leave donations on their bedside tables as a thank you. Now that we're closed, those donations are gone, and we need to keep the lights on. Donate to our operating funds and help us keep our budget steady in the season ahead.
Give to Our Gas Fund
No one should be priced out of visiting their loved one. However, many of our clients will be hard hit by the economic downturn. They'll also be anxious to see their inmates—but that might require gas money they don't have. We've set up a gas fund, which we plan to use to help cover some of the travel costs of our clients in the weeks after the Stay at Home orders are lifted.
Bookmark our Amazon Smile Page
Doing a lot of online shopping? Change your Amazon bookmark to our Amazon Smile page. Every time you shop, Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase back to Family Reconciliation Center.
Buy Items on our Amazon Wish List
We want our clients to return to a guest house that's more beautiful than ever, and we need a lot to make that happen. Purchase a gift on our Amazon Wish List and ship it right to us.
Family Reconciliation Center is nonprofit guest house located in Nashville, TN. We provide free overnight rooms to anyone visiting an incarcerated loved one.