Dedicated volunteers keep winter shelters up and running

They sweep; they wash dishes. They find woolen socks for cold feet. They heat food and serve it up to hungry folks.

Some stay all night, grabbing bits of sleep as they can.

There's a lot of devotion going on here, and it's a nightly occurrence at winter shelters for the homeless in Yakima and other locations around the Valley.

Sponsored by churches, the shelters are powered by hours of volunteer work.

And more are needed.

Sunrise Outreach Center, housed downtown at Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Yakima, oversees shelters for men, including those in Yakima at First Baptist Church and Englewood Christian Church; one for women at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Yakima; and one for families at Oasis Community Church in Sunnyside.

Called extreme winter weather shelters, they're open every night, even on holidays, from mid-November until the weather begins to warm, usually in mid-March.

In addition to those, the Hands of Hope shelter opened for women last year in west Yakima, aided by Yakima Foursquare Church. That shelter operates under the umbrella of Generating Hope, which also oversees Noah's Ark, a transitional drop-in center and emergency shelter, at 117 E. Second St. in Wapato.

The shelters operate with donations and volunteers. A $29,500 grant from Yakima County helps with supplies, heating and transportation.

All the shelters help alleviate the numbers of people seeking lodging at various missions in the Valley. And all require lots of hands-on help.

"The volunteers are wonderful," says Ken Trainor, Sunrise director of operations. "But the reality is we're running short of them."

The lack of volunteers affects how many people can be housed for the night. If there were more volunteers, Sunrise could open a third shelter for men, which the center has been hoping to do.

"We're turning away six to 12 men a night," laments Dave Hanson, Sunrise executive director. "I hate turning anyone away; I know I can't stand being outside for five minutes in this weather."

Trainor agrees. "The more people we can get into shelters, the better. Turning people away can literally be a death sentence in the cold."

Generally, the shelters run similarly; most have room for about 15 people. Patrons sign in between 6-7 p.m., lock personal items in bins and sit down to dinner, supplied by volunteers from church or community members. Some shelters have beds, others use mattresses and bedrolls. Some also serve breakfast before the people, called guests, leave.

The philosophy is to treat everyone with dignity and kindness.

"There but for fortune go I," says Jim Silsbee, who has headed the shelter at Englewood Church for four years. "We try to make the guests know they're part of our community and are treated right."

That means, from November to March, Silsbee helps supervise the shelter for several hours every night.

Ed Gefroh, a 45-year-old who attends Stone Church in Yakima, has been volunteering at shelters for two years, spending the night as a monitor.

"The first time I kind of worried if I could treat people the way I'd want to be treated," he says.

"I prayed on it, and then I knew I could do it. You look everyone straight in the eye, learn their name and you don't put yourself above them."

Joe Castillo, who spent a recent night as a guest at Englewood, gives kudos to shelter volunteers: "They're all very nice," he says. "If you want something, they try to get it for you."

Silsbee, a 71-year-old retired Army sergeant major, says guests are quick to express their gratitude: "They go out of their way to say thanks."

To show his appreciation, Carl Foran helps wash dishes when he's an overnight guest at Englewood.

"I try to give back what they do for me and what God does for us," he explains. "We're not bums or whatever people call us. We're men, just like any other men."

Englewood congregants support the shelter with food as well as monetary and clothing donations. Two nights a week, church members cook a full-course dinner and deliver it to the shelter. Volunteers from at least seven other churches, along with community members, also cook dinners for Englewood.

An Englewood women's group knitted hats, scarves and gloves for those using the shelter.

"The church as a whole took this on," says Silsbee. "We wanted to broaden our mission of helping in the community."

At least two men from Englewood volunteer every night at the shelter. Ron Graham, 68, comes both morning and evening six days a week to help clean and do laundry, aided by his wife, Diana.

Overnight monitors represent many different churches. There are always two, with one awake at all times. They alternate sleeping in four-hour stretches.

"It can be exhausting," admits volunteer Gefroh. "Then I go home and look at my kitchen and my bathroom and appreciate what I have. I can't complain because I have so much more than (the guests) do."

Gefroh takes heart from success stories he's seen. In one case, he gave a pair of boots to a man staying at a shelter who said he was starting a job in a few days. More than a year later, the man spotted Gefroh in a parking lot and said, "Remember me? I'm the one with the boots."

The man was still working and was back living with his family.

Elizabeth Knowles, volunteer director of the Sunnyside shelter with her husband Joe, says she, too, has witnessed some happy outcomes. A peer counselor who works part time, she parlays that skill into case management at the shelter, helping guests look for jobs, a car or a home.

"We've had success with people finding rentals to live in," she says.

This is the first year the shelter has housed families: "We really want to make a difference for people. This is our mission. We know there are still more families out there," Knowles said.

Knowles added that the Sunnyside community has been generous in donating food and supplies and in volunteering. However, "we always need more people willing to spend the night."

Silsbee concurs: "It's a continuous battle to maintain the number of volunteers needed."

Volunteers don't need to be connected to a church, both point out.

Silsbee views his volunteer stint every day at the shelter as part of being a Christian.

"Yes, there are easier ways to volunteer, but Jesus didn't take the easy way out."

* Jane Gargas can be reached at 509-577-7690 or jgargas@yakimaherald.com.

Shelters around the Valley

WHO: Sunrise Outreach Center and area churches.

WHAT: Sponsoring winter homeless shelters.

WHEN: Every night, mid-November through mid-March.

WHERE: Yakima, Wapato and Sunnyside.

WHY: To provide food and shelter during winter nights.

CONTACT: Sunrise Outreach Center, 509-225-9310, for information on extreme winter weather shelters in Yakima and Sunnyside. For the Hands of Hope shelter for women in Yakima, call Christine Goodwin, 509-388-4309. For Noah's Ark in Wapato, call 509-877-6337.

NEEDED: More volunteers. Sunrise offers free volunteer training from 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays in the basement of Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Yakima, 221 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.