THERE IS ROOM IN THE INN!
Warming Center for the City of Beckley Officially Opens
After much debate and several meetings of the United Way of Southern WV, the Salvation Army, Raleigh County Community Action Association, which operates the Pinehaven Homeless Shelter,
City Council members, as well as Clergy and laity from Beckley Community UMC and St. Stephen’s
Episcopal Church it was finally decided we had the right support to open the Warming Center for the
City of Beckley again this year.
This year the financial support and in-kind donations have truly been overwhelming which made the difference in our decision to open the Warming Center. We are especially thankful for the Vecellio Family Foundation, an anonymous donor, ARH, the family of Lucy Bone, and Community Connections of Princeton for their in-kind donations of 8 boxes of hygiene items.
This year we have 52 volunteers who have agreed to work our 3-hour shifts or keep the soup and
snacks coming! We could not provide hospitality and compassionate care for our guests if it were
not for the kind generosity of our own church and the community at large. We are now stocked for the short term with pillows, blankets, hand and foot warmers, gloves, hats, socks, mylar blankets, and food donations. The Warming Center is only open when the temperature reaches 15 degrees or below with wind chill, which defies the imagination how anyone can sleep outdoors on these nights. We appreciate your continued prayers for our volunteers, our guests, and all those affected by the cold weather during these winter months. This is truly a ministry of God’s making to ensure we care for our neighbors and express God’s love in tangible ways. Thank you everyone for making this ministry possible!
Special thanks to Rev. Scott Mayberry, Director of New Vision Depot for the cots, blankets, pillows,
hygiene kits, and cleaning supplies. Blessings to Dave and Rosie Cook and Neal and Helen Lacey for
picking up items from New Vision Depot and to Ron Hedrick and his nephew for bringing and
assembling lockers for the belongings of our guests.
Click here to read more from the January Newsletter!