Peterborough United Methodist Church is working to create the first, and so far, only, emergency overnight shelter in Peterborough

PUMC is actively recruiting volunteers to assist with our community-wide program, which will provide a warm place for families and individuals temporarily without housing due to unforeseeable circumstances or crises during the cold winter months. There is a wide scope of reasons people may find themselves temporarily without housing; a few include:

• Fleeing from violent relationship
• Renters who have lost housing due to owner selling property or raising rent
• House fires
• Single parents who struggle to find affordable housing

Having a deep pool of capable and willing volunteers is vital to the success of this mission.
The goal is to be prepared to have our doors open when we receive a request from one of the five area agencies for up to two nights a week during the months of December-March (36 total). 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. This could be broken into two time slots (6PM-1AM and 1AM-8AM), so we would need four volunteers to fully cover each night we are open. In addition, each volunteer is required to be CPR/First Aid certified, and PUMC is happy to provide this as well as orientation training to all volunteers.

All guests will (and must) be veted through one of five Eastern Monadnock Housing Security Coalition agencies (EMHSC) including: 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.

In addition to needing volunteers, we are also reaching out to community members and businesses who may want to contribute by donating necessary supplies and/or funding for this project.
Items of use include blankets, pillows, cots or nap mats, pillowcases, towels, wash cloths, laundry detergent, body soap or other hygiene products, Kleenex, toilet paper, and bathroom cleaning supplies. Monetary donations are also useful to help offset the increased heating and electric bills the church will incur while serving as a shelter.

We hope that you will consider offering time or resources to serve your fellow community members, and please feel free to share this meaningful opportunity with others in your circle.
Anyone interested in assisting can contact the church office and their request will be forwarded to the appropriate committee member: 603-924-4294 / info@peterboroughumc.org.

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

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.