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Cold Night Shelter for the Homeless
 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance...for I was a stranger and you invited me in ." (Matthew 25:34-36)
On cold nights during the winter, the Cold Night Shelter in downtown Melbourne opens its doors to provide homeless men and women with a warm dinner, shelter, and a nourishing breakfast. They are in constant need of volunteers to cover various shifts (usually 2 to 4 hours at a time). They need help with preparing meals, in-processing guests, and cleaning up (see "More Details" below).
- When is it open? Only on nights colder than 45 degrees. The shelter opens at 7:00 p.m., and closes the next morning at 8:00 a.m. The typical volunteer shift is 2 or 4 hours, depending on the job.
- Sign-Up. If you are interested in volunteering for this ministry, just fill out the Sign-Up Form, and Pastor Jonathan will get back in touch with you. If you have any questions about it, please contact him at (321) 298-0104 or jculley@covenantpalmbay.org.
More Details. There are five shifts available for you to help with:
- 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
- 7:00 - Midnight
- Midnight - 4:00 a.m.
- 4:00 - 8:00 a.m.
- 6:00 - 8:00 a.m.
The reason that two of these shifts overlap with others is that these are meal-times, and need extra help preparing and serving food and cleaning up.
Here is how this works: All the volunteers are on an e-mail notification list, and when it looks like the weather forecast calls for cold weather, the shelter manager sends out an e-mail request for volunteers for that particular night. In that e-mail, she identifies what shifts and tasks she needs volunteers for. If you choose to volunteer for that particular night, you just reply to her e-mail saying what shift you are willing/able to work. If you can’t help at all for that night, that’s fine, you just don’t reply to her e-mail.
There is no initial training required. You will never be alone, and you will always be assigned a partner who is able to train you on the required duties. There are several of us from Covenant Church who volunteer regularly at this shelter, so you can partner with any of us for whatever shift you want to work. Contact Pastor Jonathan for help with this.
This ministry is truly a blessing to the homeless in our community. And it provides opportunities to share the Gospel with those in need.
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