Inn From The Cold

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink .... I was a stranger and you invited me in." (Matthew 25:35)

Inn from the Cold is a church based volunteer program to provide temporary overnight shelter for homeless people.

The program at St. Michael operates every Thursday other than the 2nd Thursday of each month. Priority given to families and women. Our volunteers offer our 15 guests a safe, quiet shelter along with a hot meal, a bed for the night, a shower, a hot breakfast, and leave with a bag lunch. In order to carry out this ministry, we have many dedicated volunteers but there is a need for your involvement as well. Our goal is to staff the overnight shift with three people who can spell each other off thus enabling a few hours of sleep for those who require it. We always have both men and women attending to our guests.

Another volunteer (or a family) may assist in setting up or in taking down the sleeping area. The cooks would welcome your expertise or may even offer you the chance to improve your skills through their supervision. A small group serves the food and cleans up after the meal. Some families have prepared the lunches at their own homes or supply baking for the evening snack. Volunteers visit with the guests during the evening and often are challenged to a game of cards. The possibilities are wide and if none of these suit you, perhaps you would consider doing some of the laundry. Homelessness can happen to anyone. Although the majority of our guests are single men, an ever-increasing number are women and children. In the past year, we seldom have nights that do not have children as part of the many who seek shelter through the program. In Calgary, single men have a number of shelter options available to them. Families, however, have only one - Inn From The Cold.

For more information or to volunteer - please contact Jocelyn @ 403.686.4788