{"id":119,"date":"2017-01-01T22:36:14","date_gmt":"2017-01-01T22:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/?page_id=119"},"modified":"2026-06-04T16:15:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:15:07","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/index.php\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mark 9:35<\/h5>\n

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, \u201cAnyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

We continue to run our dining hall\/soup kitchen every Sunday. We are now able feed the homeless as well as those in need, no one is turned away. We are developing relationships with those we serve and find out more about their needs, so that we may continue to serve them. Last year we expanded into providing a free resource store for those in need as well, which has a similar purpose of developing relationships and helping beyond the providing free items. We have also made these facilities available to other nonprofits that don’t have an area to provide service\/training. In 2024 we signed an MOU with Christian Women’s Job Corp to use our facility 3 days a week for their classes. Coalition is a big part of who we are, and we believe it will take more than just us to end homelessness in East Texas. We have
\norganized a game day to give the homeless a place to come and relax. While they are there, we allow the use of the washer\/dryer and our showers. Our building\/facilities also hosts the Community Collaboration Council meetings as well. We provide lunch and encourage other nonprofits to join and work together. These funds will allow us to cover our general expenses, utilities, supplies, education material, and more. We continue to explore new ways to expand our services and fill the gaps within our community.<\/p>\n

Our focus and mission continues towards developing a tiny home community for homeless veterans, and are currently looking for land and funding.<\/p>\n

The board of Directors:<\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

David Peters <\/span><\/p>\n

President\/Treasure<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I was born in a small town in West Virginia, where I lived until the age of 5, when my family relocated to Northern Virginia.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>This is where I met and married my wife Karen.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I began working construction right out of high school at the age of 17.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>By the age of 24, I owned and operated my own class \u201cA\u201d general contracting company.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My wife and I moved to Texas in December of 1992 with our 3 children.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I continued in my chosen vocation until semi-retiring in August 2007.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>This allowed me more time to spend with my family as well as be more involved with the church.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>In March 2010 I took a part time position with USPS, and continued there for 5 years.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>In April 2015 I accepted a position as Vocational Instructor\/Community Service Coordinator Supervisor for Smith County Juvenile Services where<\/span>\u00a0I have the opportunity to share my knowledge in construction, and oversee the auto mechanics, welding, and horticulture department, making a difference in the lives of our youth.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

I have been blessed by God in so many ways. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>He has provided a wife, children, grandchildren, as well as brothers and sisters in Christ. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>He affords me the privilege to serve others.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I will continue to strive to find God\u2019s grace and blessings in all He provides for me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It is with this servant\u2019s heart that I have come to start Sheltering Arms Coalition.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Christopher Bankhead<\/span><\/p>\n

Vice President <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I was born in Uniontown, PA. \u00a0My family would later relocate to Missouri and eventually settle in Texas in 1988. \u00a0I attended school at a few different school districts, before we settled into Whitehouse, where I would eventually graduate in 1996. \u00a0After high school, I attended Tyler Junior College where I pursued a degree in Computer Science. \u00a0My wife Amanda and I were married in 2012, and I have three beautiful daughters: Taylor, Kayte, and Emmalyn.<\/p>\n

I have spent the last 18 years in the solid waste industry in a variety of positions from driver to Operations Manager. \u00a0I am currently an Operations Supervisor for Waste Connections, Inc out of Palestine, Texas. \u00a0Through the years of working in the solid waste industry, I have seen numerous people in need and homeless on our streets living in alleys, eating out of trash cans, sleeping in dumpsters and dumpster enclosures, just to stay warm. \u00a0It wasn’t until recently, that I have really felt the call to help. \u00a0So here I am, passionate and ready, to take on the fight to lift the homeless off the streets and empower them to succeed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dana Monkress<\/span><\/p>\n

Board Member<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I was born and raised in Plano, Texas. I then \u00a0attended Stephen F Austin university and graduated with a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies and a specialization in early childhood. I met and married my husband \u00a0of now 25 years and have two beautiful daughters, Delaney and Mackinly. I have taught pre-K in both public and private schools for the last 24 years. \u00a0I recently retired as I feel God is pulling me in another direction!
\nMy passion is the youth, and getting them to help serve the Lord and our community. I want to get them involved to help be a part of the solution to homelessness in East Texas. I felt led to sheltering arms coalition about two years ago, and God has opened a new door on how to be involved! I am so excited to serve our community and get the youth involved !<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Don Mcleod<\/span><\/p>\n

Board Member<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Don McLeod<\/p>\n

I was born in Montana and have lived in several states before finally settling in Texas.\u00a0\u00a0I retired in 2014 from various jobs including maintaining and operating commercial refrigeration, HVAC, boilers etc. Chief of a resort hotel engineering dept.\u00a0\u00a0I have been a single parent and have taken care of elderly parents. These have helped me to have compassion for those who struggle with life.\u00a0\u00a0My wife of 20+ years and I moved to East Texas from West Texas in 2014. We love this area and love the small-town vibe. Especially the weather.\u00a0\u00a0We began volunteering occasionally with Sheltering Arms feeding Sunday meals from the trailer. I got more involved when the existing building was coming together. I felt my strength was more in the maintenance, building, structure, but once we got involved and got to know the people we serve, I realized I may have more to offer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Rozanne Tomlinson<\/span><\/p>\n

Board Member<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and attended school in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, where I graduated high school. I then went to college and studied pharmacy, registering as a pharmacist in 1980. It was in Durban that I met and married my husband, Brian, and had two sons. In 2001, Brian and I were both offered jobs in Northern California, and immigrated to the States in 2002, where we settled in Santa Rosa. I retired from Kaiser Permanente in 2021, where I had worked as a pharmacy manager for 14 years. We moved to Texas at the end of that year.<\/div>\n
Brian and I had often discussed volunteering in some capacity in our retirement, and East Texas Sheltering Arms Coalition aligns with our values and compassions.<\/div>\n

Jo Fuller<\/span><\/p>\n

Board Member<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, \u201cAnyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.\u201d We continue to run our dining hall\/soup kitchen every Sunday. We are now able feed the homeless as well as those in need, no one is turned away. We […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-119","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P8fBAd-1V","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1345,"href":"https:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/119\/revisions\/1345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteringarmscoalition.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}