Emergency Overnight Warming Shelter

 ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Mathew 25:40

EMERGENCY OVERNIGHT WARMING SHELTER

PUMC is actively recruiting volunteers and seeking donations to assist with establishing the first and so far only, Emergency Overnight Warming Shelter in Peterborough. With your help, we will provide a warm place for families and individuals in our community on the coldest winter nights.

There are many reasons people may find themselves temporarily without housing; a few include:

  • Fleeing from a violent relationship
  • Renters who have lost housing due to owner selling property or raising rent
  • House fires
  • Seniors who can no longer afford to stay in their homes now on waiting lists for senior housing
  • Single parents who struggle to find affordable housing

The goal is to open our doors when we receive a request from one of the five area Eastern Monadnock Emergency Housing Security Coalition (EMHSC) agencies for up to two nights a week during the months of December-March (36 total).

All guests must be vetted through one of five EMHSC agencies. The agencies are: Southern NH Services, Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, Shelter from the Storm, The River Center, and The Grapevine (Antrim). PUMC will set strict guidelines and policies to ensure the safety of both our guests, our volunteers, and our neighbors. Referrals through these agencies ensure that our guests will receive ongoing support after they leave our shelter.

Per the State of NH Department of Safety regulations, it is required that we have two adults, awake and on-site from 6PM-8AM on the nights we are open. In addition, each volunteer is required to be CPR/First Aid certified. PUMC is happy to provide this as well as orientation training to all volunteers.

Having a deep pool of capable and willing volunteers is vital to the success of this mission.

In addition to needing overnight volunteers, we are also reaching out to community members and businesses who may want to contribute by donating necessary supplies.

Items of use include:

·       Blankets·       Snacks·       Tissues, toilet paper
·       Pillows, pillowcases·       Beverages·       Body soap
·       Sheets·       Hot meals·       Cleaning supplies
·       Towels·       “Ready to Heat” Meals·       Personal hygiene items
·       Wash cloths·       To-go food items·       Laundry detergent

To find out more about how you can help either by volunteering your time or helping us with gathering supplies or providing meals, please contact us here:

Monetary donations are also useful to help offset the increased heating and electric bills the church will incur while serving as a shelter.
Any donations that we receive in excess of our needs will be donated to the Eastern Monadnock Housing Security Coalition Fund, currently being held by the Dublin Community Church. Those funds are used to assist other local faith based organizations with their efforts to convert spaces in their facilities for emergency housing.

To make a donation, please click on the donate button or scan the QR code:

If you have further questions please contact the church office at shelter@peterboroughumc.org or by phone at 603-924-4294.