The Room in the Inn
program, a winter shelter program for the homeless, will begin in November.
Missio Dei Church will hosts 12 homeless guests (dates to be announced) with the possibility of adding more dates if needed from November through March.
Our desire is to serve those in need with a warm welcoming environment among
people in the church who will show them love and dignity over a hot dinner, a
comfortable bed, breakfast, and a sack lunch. We also provide showers, clean
underwear and socks, toiletries and items for personal hygiene.
In order for us to do this,
we need your help. We need individuals, families or Missional Communities to
provide and prepare dinners, sack lunches, and breakfasts. We also need
Innkeepers to stay the night with our guests. We need help transporting our
guests from and to our building, and help with laundry and hospitality.
Another way to contribute
is by donating men's boxers, t-shirts and socks. We need mostly large and
x-large boxers and t-shirts; however, we do need some small and 2x-large as
well. We are also in need of toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant, liquid
bath soap, shampoo, disposable razors, and shaving cream.
Have questions? Want to
help? Contact Erin Ferguson. Or click on the Room In the Inn picture below and
see exactly what needs we have.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES |
Room in the Inn
Innkeeper: Spends the night with the guests. Wakes them up in
the morning, sets out breakfast.
Transportation: Drivers are
needed on each date on the evening to pick up our 12 guests from the Carpenters
House at 212 N. 2nd Street downtown and bring them to our
building. Pick up is no later than 5:30pm. Drivers are also needed the
following morning to return our guests to the Carpenters House by 7 am. This is
a great opportunity for friends to get together to take our guests back then
have breakfast together.
Laundry/
Cleaning: Picks up the linens from the
beds/towels that were used the following morning, launders and folds the sheets
and towels, and returns to their appropriate bins, cabinets by that night. You
may take these home, and bring them back to the church or use the facilities at
the church. Wipe Down all mattresses with Clorox wipes, and sweep, mop, vacuum
fellowship and sleeping areas. As well as clean the bathroom shower and sweep
the laundry room
Hospitality: Helps make beds, and set up the fellowship room. As
well as serves dinner, and visits with our guests.
Food Prep and
Servers: Provides and prepares dinner
for 20 + hungry people. The meal should consist of a meat, vegetables, a
starch, bread, deserts, and drinks. This is a great opportunity for families or
friends to get together. It is also a great opportunity for groups to volunteer
and work together.
Breakfast consists of
cereal, milk, juice, fruit, and sweet rolls.
Sack lunches consist of 2
sandwiches, a bag of chips, a piece of fruit, a something sweet, and a drink.
If you want to volunteer or
need further information, contact Erin Ferguson.
Working with the homeless
is a very rewarding experience and is a great way to spend time together with
the church as we serve. Our guests are screened by the downtown Room In the Inn
staff, are all nice, interesting, and enjoy a good conversation. The homeless
will love to come to Missio Dei and we hope it becomes a blessing as your eyes
are opened to the needs of our city.
Volunteer Tips: Conversation is a
gift to our guests. Without doing a 20 questions dialog sharing concern for who
they are and hearing their hopes and dreams is as important as the food we
share. Caution should be given to sharing too much personal information just as
you would have with anyone you met for the first time. DO NOT SHARE YOUR PHONE NUMBER.
If you have resources to
share with our guests beyond the night of shelter, please do that through the
RITI- Memphis staff.
If you would like to take
photos of guests to post on social media, we do need to ask them to sign a
social media release. Many of our guests will not be comfortable with being
photographed or videotaped and we need to be sure we are respectful of that
desire.
Children are welcome to
help serve, but should be supervised by their parents at all times.
If you meet someone who is
homeless please do not promise them shelter with RITI before speaking with the
RITI staff first. All guests must go through the same process, the integrity of
the program demands that we remain as fair as possible.
Room in the Inn- Memphis
welcomes the most vulnerable people living on the streets of our city. This
includes guests that are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Respect is the key and
safety is our goal. Welcoming these members of our community does not make
statements about your own personal beliefs it simply provides one of the few safe
shelters for them.
