This week RITI’s Congregational Shelter program celebrated 100 Nights of Shelter so far this winter (Nov 1 – Feb 9)! Thanks to the efforts of our 39 host congregations, free shelter is available 7 nights a week all winter long. This program is different from our Family Inn and Recuperative Care Center in two significant ways:
It is almost entirely volunteer powered – volunteers in faith communities host and provide the shelter, food, and hospitality for their nightly guests.
It is night-to-night emergency shelter for those with no other options. There are no additional services or guarantees other than we will be there again the next day, ready to greet you by name.
So, what happens with this night-to-night, winter, volunteer-powered program when extreme weather hits?
When the RITI Shelter Team got word January’s winter storm was on the way, our lead volunteers were contacted. Four locations became 24 hour shelters for RITI guests from January 23-29. Guests were welcomed on the first night of the forecasted storm as they always are each night, but they knew they would be sheltered there safely until conditions improved rather than returning downtown the following morning.
This ongoing shelter happened entirely with volunteers until some guests were moved to the RITI Campus on January 27th, and even then volunteers arrived to help support our extra campus guests with hospitality.
Eleven denominations, two faith traditions, three non-profits, and dozens of additional volunteers made it possible for over 70 individuals, including families with children, to leave the dangers of the cold winter streets and instead be sheltered in a peaceful environment of safety, warmth, and hospitality. With Family Inn and Recuperative Care, RITI was a safe haven for over 100 guests through the storm.
We owe all our gratitude to the individual volunteers and these congregations and organizations who gave life-saving shelter by bringing meals, staying overnight, and visiting during the day at the RITI locations throughout Memphis during the extreme weather. THANK YOU.
Boy Scout Troop 74, Calvary Episcopal Church, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Christ Methodist Church, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Collierville Christian Church, Covenant Presbyterian Church of Germantown, Emmanuel United Methodist Church, Faith Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Germantown Presbyterian Church, Germantown United Methodist Church, Girl Scout Troop 10785, Global Cafe, Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Heartsong Church, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Howard’s Donuts, Idlewild Presbyterian Church, Lindenwood Christian Church, Mobile Homeless Ministry, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Service Over Self, St. Ann Bartlett, St. George’s Episcopal Church, St. John Orthodox Church, St. Louis Catholic Church, St. Vincent DePaul Society, Temple Israel, White Station Church of Christ….
There’s always room for more faith communities to join in this life-saving work!