ABBA LIST

ABBA List seeks to transform lives of those in need by providing food, shelter, and support. The resource website and CAST seek to make each life a little better through food, shelter and other charitable assistance. The Burfoot House aims to completely transform the lives of homeless women by providing food and shelter while educating them to become fully independent.

ABBA List partners with local churches and other charities to provide support to those that are homeless and in need. We meet monthly with various church representatives along with the City of Chesapeake to coordinate resources to serve that population. We own two buses and pay local drivers to provide transportation to the homeless to and from each church during the winter shelter period. For the Burfoot House we rent a large home from a church to provide shelter. We also own a van that provides transportation to and from work for those women living in the home and assist those women with finding jobs. We rely on donations from the City of Chesapeake, local area churches, and local individuals to run our programs. In addition, we conduct various fundraisers throughout the year to provide support for these programs as well.

The ABBA List is a volunteer effort as there are no employees and all board members serve in various capacities to achieve the mission of the organization. As noted above, we own two buses and a van to provide transportation and rent a large house to provide shelter for the women of the Burfoot House. We pay local bus drivers to provide transportation services. Local churches provide food and shelter to the homeless during the winter months, but Burfoot House operates year round. We conduct outreach through billboard advertising and distribution of cards and brochures in lower income areas of the city. In addition, we rely on local churches to spread the word of the services we offer.

We have several thousand visits each month to the site. We have good success with matching those in need with those local churches and charities providing assistance. CAST serves approximately 40 to 50 homeless individuals each night during the winter by providing shelter and meals through local churches. Our goal is to keep them safe, warm, and fed during the most difficult time of the year. For the Burfoot House, we have had several women graduate from the program and are currently living on their own.