Every August, St. Matthew's Parish Hall becomes a shelter for temporarily homeless children and their caregivers, through Project Home, part of St Paul Interfaith Action. Volunteers from our congregation team up with volunteers from the neighborhood and other congregations in St Anthony Park – SAP Lutheran, St. Cecilia’s Catholic, Corpus Christi Catholic, Centennial/SAP United Methodist – to read and play with children and otherwise host and support these families. There may be as many as 20 people staying with us each evening. Over the years, we have gotten to know many families, tried to support and encourage them during these short-term periods of homelessness, and seen them move on to into their own homes.
We need volunteers to staff the shelter during the evenings and overnights. Would you like to help make this important ministry a reality? Would you like to bring family or friends (including older children)? Here's how you can help:
Evening Shelter Hosts volunteer from 5:30pm to 8:30pm Their main responsibilities include greeting shelter guests, serving a healthy evening snack, playing and reading with children, organizing art projects, telling stories, and orienting the overnight shelter hosts at the end of their shift.
Overnight Shelter Hosts volunteer from 8pm to 7:30am on weekdays and until 9:30am on weekends. Their main responsibilities include securing the facility before bedtime, waking up guests, serving a light breakfast, and cleaning up and securing the facility after guests have left for the day.
If you have any questions, ask Elaine Tarone.
