Once again, First Church will host the Interfaith Action Emergency Shelter for three weeks over the holidays, from December 25, 2022 to January 15, 2023 . Our congregation is one of nine faith communities involved this year.
Interfaith Action of Evanston (IAE) provides the two paid staff members plus volunteers each night. As the host congregation, we provide volunteers to serve in a host role for each morning and evening during our three weeks. The morning shift, 6:00-7:00am, involves helping staff and volunteers clean up as guests exit the building; during the evening shift, 7:55-9:30pm, the host volunteer lets the IAE staff and volunteers into the building at 8pm and assists with setup as guests begin arriving at 9:00pm. The City once again requires that all participants be masked.
If you haven’t yet volunteered for IAE shelter, please know that there are not many demands on host volunteers given the staffing provided by Interfaith Action. Please give some time for this important effort and sign up for one or more slots.
Please reach out to Craig Chambers at cdc7976@gmail.com with any questions. Craig will contact volunteers to provide additional details and is happy to offer quick training to anyone who needs an initial overview or refresher — with emphasis on quick because there truly is not much to it!