Vietnam War veteran happy to help the homeless at Cove House shelter
Posted On: Sunday, Mar. 21 2010 11:53 PM
By Taylor Short
Killeen Daily HeraldCharles Alcorn sits like a sentinel at the front desk of the Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter, acting as a liaison between those in need and the essentials they need to live.
Luckily, he's about as friendly and helpful as a community servant could be.
"I like running the desk because I get to meet people and talk to them. I'm not real shy as most of them will tell you," he said. "I think it's because I love people."
Alcorn helps clients qualify for carts of food, water, soap, diapers and other supplies along with the other volunteers at the shelter.
A three-year Army veteran who fought in the Vietnam War and retired from civil service, Alcorn suffers with a back problem. Instead of staying at home, he began volunteering by delivering groceries with his truck about three years ago.
After serving on the shelter's board for two years and becoming vice chairman, he took his current position and became more involved in the business end, which he said is his favorite spot.
"I'm retired and I didn't really need a job, but I didn't want to sit around at home watching TV," he said. "I wanted something to do where I could help the community or help somebody instead of just worrying about myself."
The Cove House, located at 108 E. Halstead Ave. in Copperas Cove, is a Christian organization founded in 1996 to provide free shelter and food for the homeless.
The food pantry has served 56,069 families in Coryell County and the greater Fort Hood area since opening and has sheltered nearly 5,000.
Alcorn said the pantry has seen a jump of 333 families needing help between 2008 and 2009 alone. As part of his mission, he tries to help with counseling – teaching clients how to behave, speak and dress for a job interview.
"People go through divorces and other things. There are a lot of things in life that can cause you to do that and we usually get them when they're down, so we try to build them back up with positive self-esteem," he said.
After his clients find a place to live and get back on their feet, Alcorn helps his clients move and get furniture into their new homes.
The shelter receives funding from churches, private donors and the United Way.
Alcorn also helps raise money and gets sponsors for the two big fundraisers each year: a bike tour in the fall and a golf tournament, set for April 10.
The Cove House, which is open five days a week, allows people to stay past 14 days with the approval of the director, Linda Steimer.
Alcorn said he likes working with volunteers such as Kristen Martinez, who helps the Cove House pack items into carts for clients to carry home.
"I think seeing the pain and suffering people are going through at a certain point in their life when they have to come here and live in the shelter, it just breaks your heart," he said. "I have to use that feeling in me to talk to them and hold them up, make them feel like they can get a job and they can get out there and do something."
Over a period of time, Alcorn said he uses his love for the Lord to guard against getting calloused and to remain sensitive to the needs of those who have been hit the hardest by the economic downturn.
"All my life, I was worried about myself and what I wanted," he said. "It's not all about me, it's about other people and that's why I love it here."
Contact Taylor Short at
tshort@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7476. Follow him on Twitter at KDHcove.