The Erie Russian Orthodox Old Rite Church of the Nativity of Christ recently hosted an overflow shelter program that is run by Community Shelter Services with the help of area churches. The first floor of the church Community Center was the site for this shelter from February 6 to February 20.
The overflow shelter program provides a warm place to eat, sleep, and shower for the Erie homeless during the cold winter months. The program has run successfully since November at various local churches.
Volunteers staffed the shelter during each of the three hour shifts from 7pm to 7am. The first day, they set up cots, chairs, a social area, toiletries and linens. Later, they registered the residents, served them a light dinner, washed towels, did light clean up work, monitored the residents, and set up breakfast at 5am. Volunteers also made soup every night and provided bread, pastries, water, lemonade, coffee and tea. Additional volunteers came from the churches where the shelter had already taken place.
Church members who could not volunteer made a monetary contribution or donated socks, underwear, hats, gloves, sweatpants, cough drops, and Kleenex.
Although this project was a large undertaking, the Church of the Nativity considered it their responsibility as Christians to help those in need by answering Christ's call to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
Information gathered from NATIVITY STAR, a monthly publication of the Erie Russian Orthodox Old Rite Church of the Nativity of Christ
