Cornerstone News
June 27, 2008: "Mayor Salem Vows to Make Cornerstone the City's Mission"
(Above) Mayor John Salem works behind the counter at the Cornerstone Mission Wednesday evening (6/26), scooping salad onto a tray. Behind him, veteran volunteers Lorna Gabby and Lucy Fairchild prepare the meat and potatoes portion of the night’s meal.
(Below) After helping serve dinner, the mayor joins the homeless for a meal of pot roast, potatoes, vegetables and apricot pie. Seated alongside him is Ken McGlashan.
Mayor John Salem joined other volunteers at the Cornerstone Mission Wednesday evening, ladling heaping mounds of pot roast, potatoes and mixed vegetables on trays in anticipation of the homeless shelter's 4 p.m. dinner rush.
Then, once the line dwindled and all comers had been served, Salem stripped off his latex gloves, got his own tray of food, found a place at the crowded room-length table and dug in.
In all, Salem spent nearly an hour at the mission Wednesday, conversing with the administration, breaking bread with the residents, and learning what the mission needed from the community to continue functioning. Salem said it was his first-ever visit to the shelter at 3049 Sycamore Ave., but even in just that one hour, he was impressed with the job Administrator Melissa Cornelia and her staff were doing.
"This is something the community really needs, and the community needs to stand behind it," Salem said.
"They're doing a wonderful job, and they're definitely an asset to the city."
Salem spent much of the first half of his visit taking a tour of the shelter, moving through the main hall to the transitional living quarters, the food pantry, and finally to the room in back where the shelter keeps spare clothing for men, women and children alike.
"I was asking some of the things that they needed," Salem said. "She (Cornelia) needs some building materials - the bunk beds that you buy for your kids, they just don't seem to hold up, so they're building their own.
"They're in dire need of men's jeans from sizes 28 to 36," Salem added. "They're always running out of men's jeans, and they don't really care if the length is right, so long as they'll fit around their waists."
Cornelia said the mission was also constantly looking for new volunteers to help wash dishes, cook meals, even run the various life skills classes the shelter holds for its residents. Though it costs around $10,000 a month to maintain operations, Cornelia told Salem they never make their budget goals.
"They just shut down their thrift store, so that's going to leave a void," he said.
Salem was met with enthusiasm by one resident of the shelter, Aaron Scalabrini, who had found his way to the mission after leaving his hometown of Sacramento and running into legal troubles. Scalabrini said he was pleased to see the mayor acknowledging the homeless situation and implored him to continue focusing on the issue.
Scalabrini acknowledged the perception of a transient problem in the neighborhoods surrounding the mission. It's a perception that had placed the shelter's conditional use permit in peril two months ago when the city Planning and Zoning Commission received complaints from nearby businesses.
"That stigma needs to be broken down," Scalabrini said.
Salem said he was very optimistic that Cornerstone would be able to reach an understanding with its neighbors such that the shelter could continue operations.
The mission had had a neighborhood meeting with some of its neighbors earlier that morning, which Cornelia said had gone "really well."
Cornelia invited Salem to the shelter last week, after the mayor signed a proclamation designating this week Homeless Awareness Week in Kingman. Planning and Zoning Commission members Allen Mossberg and Sandi Minkler also made an appearance and took a tour of the facility Wednesday evening.
Salem said he planned to continue supporting the mission, both in his private life and in his public role as mayor.
For more information on volunteering or donating to the Cornerstone Mission, call (928) 757-1535 or e-mail cornerstone7777@hotmail.com.
