VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION MONTH
Since I began working at RITI in May of 2025, there have been 2,088 individual volunteers and 151 groups totalling 6,122 hours of service! Already in 2026, volunteers have served over 1,000 hours on campus in addition to our Congregational Shelter volunteers serving every night this winter!
When I first started as Volunteer Coordinator, I was nervous to interact with so many people- however, that quickly changed. Our volunteers are the best!
Those who pre-date me on campus, like Tom who helps at the front desk and Linda who sorts our donations, helped me settle in by being their open and helpful selves. Leading groups helped me feel more confident about knowing RITI’s history and fulfilling our mission.
Our guests also welcomed me with open arms and have come into my office offering stories and conversations- even helping me bounce ideas for groups to interact with guests more!
It is a gift to be able to say that part of my job is to build relationships. It is great getting to know the regular volunteers who come for Front Desk Support and Serving with a Smile meal shifts. Along with the work they do, volunteers bring new perspectives, ways of doing things, and ideas to campus. Taking the time to talk to volunteers during their shifts or while leading groups always opens my eyes to how impactful the work we share is.
I cannot forget the Congregational Shelter volunteers! While their main contact is Callen, our CS Coordinator, their hard work is not taken for granted. I have enjoyed meeting the congregations’ drivers on nights I helped with pick-up these past two seasons and am excited to meet more of them at this year’s Volunteer Appreciation Dinner!
I say this a lot, but I truly mean it, we cannot do what we do without our volunteers. Our guests benefit immensely from the meals, the donations, and most importantly, the Holy Hospitality that volunteers show them.
I am excited to continue this work with you all!
Bailey Holt
Volunteer Coordinator
5 YEARS AT 409 AYERS STREET
This month, RITI celebrates five full years welcoming guests to safe shelter and supportive services on our campus. On April 26, 2021 the first guest moved into the Recuperative Care Center, and more RCC and Family Inn guests soon followed. We are so grateful for the chance to offer a home for hospitality, hope, and healing at 409 Ayers.
WINTER SHELTER
This winter, 40 local faith communities offered shelter and holy hospitality to 634 individuals, including 114 children, who otherwise would have had no safe place to sleep. Instead of finding refuge in cars and abandoned buildings, RITI guests sat around tables with volunteers for a family dinner, had a bed of their own with soft blankets, and closed their eyes knowing they were safe. They woke up to freshly brewed coffee, friendly faces wishing them, “Good morning,” and renewed hope for a better day.
The impact these faith communities and volunteers made cannot be told in numbers, but what these numbers can tell you is that the need for this safe shelter in Memphis is great, and only growing, especially for children.
We need your light!
Will you help us add 20 more congregations to the Inn Crowd? More faith communities joining Room in the Inn means more safe places to sleep for the unsheltered children, women, and men in Memphis. All we need is you. Tell your congregation you want to become a RITI host, and join us in this life-saving work. Already hosting? Forward this to a friend, and tell them you’ll help them get started!
Email shelter@ritimemphis.org to learn more about becoming a host this summer (May-September) or winter (November-March).