2008-2009 Winter Relief Program homeless shelter at Riva Trace Baptist Church:  October 19-26, 2009

The Winter Relief Program is an emergency shelter for homeless men and women during the winter months. Approximately 35 churches across Anne Arundel County participate in this program every year. Our church, now in its eight year in the program, will be a shelter home for up to 38 homeless men and women from Monday, October 19 – Monday, October 26 2009. Our homeless guests will be visiting our church each evening from about 5:30 until about 7:15am the following day. The shelter will be set up in the gym. We will, in essence, become a full-time shelter for that one week.

This year’s all cash donation format combined with the down economy will offer some unique challenges for our church family. We’ll need cash donations to replace our regular food and drink donations, plus volunteers for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, practicing discipleship, leading Bible Study, preparing/cooking & serving meals, providing transportation, serving as night hosts/monitors, providing Christian based entertainment & education, running errands, doing laundry, and setting up and breaking down the shelter at the beginning and end of the week.  It is important to understand that the gym will be our guests’ home for the week. No volunteers will be admitted without being on the “duty schedule,” and absolutely nobody under the 7^th grade will be allowed to sign up to help. 

The shelter provides the men and women breakfast, a bag lunch, dinner, snacks, showers, and a safe, warm place in a loving environment to spend the cold winter nights. The men and women are picked up at the Intake Center in Glen Burnie. The Intake Center screens the men and women for behavior, and administers alcohol breath test and police background checks before allowing them into the shelter program.

We (RTBC volunteers) transport our guests from the Glen Burnie Intake Center to Riva Trace Baptist Church each day, arriving at the church between 5:15pm and 5:45pm. Dinner is served between 6:00pm and 6:15pm. After dinner, it's free time until about 10:00. Free time includes the above mentioned ministries, plus things like Christian videos and coordinated entertainment, checkers, chess, cards, and movies. Lights are out at 10:00pm. Breakfast is served at 6:30am, and we then bus our neighbors back to the Intake Center in Glen Burnie between 7:00am and 7:15am.

This week-long program involves approximately 250 of our church volunteers. Please pray and consider how God would use you and your talents in this week's special opportunity to love your Lord through loving your neighbors.