WARM “Wrapping Arms Round Many” is a winter emergency sheltering program for the homeless in St. Mary’s County, and we are in need of volunteers to help with registration and van drivers.
There are many more homeless men and women in St. Mary’s County than the shelters have space for. WARM was established out of necessity when the local shelter reached out to the faith based community and asked for help. The WARM program provides up to 25 homeless men and women with a warm, dry, safe place to be nightly during the cold winter months. All WARM guests are given a warm, safe place to sleep, a delicious dinner and hot breakfast, and are treated with kindness and respect.
The first WARM season took place in November 2009. The WARM program is very successful with over 50 churches participating. WARM operates in close partnership with St. Mary’s County Government, including The Department of Social Services, Walden, Three Oaks Center, The Office of Aging, The Department of Corrections, The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and MedStar.
WARM volunteers change the lives of the homeless men and women the program serves. Positive interaction with the WARM guests provides a sense of community and fellowship. WARM is seeking volunteers for registration. Registration is held at the Three Oaks Facility in Lexington Park, between 4:45pm to 6:00 pm. Registration volunteers are asked to commit to 2 days a month. Volunteers will interact with all pre-screened guests each night the guest attends from the time the guest signs in for the night at 5pm until the van leaves for the host site (which is no later than 6-6:30pm).
Volunteers must be 16 years of age and over and must have parent’s written consent if under the age of 18. This is also a great opportunity for high school students to meet their requirements of community service.
If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer for WARM Registration, please contact: Dolly Griffin at: [email protected] or Jennifer Herriman at: [email protected]
Volunteer van drivers are also needed:
- Driver must be 18 or older and have a valid driver’s license, no other experience is required.
- Vans will be provided to transport WARM guest only from registration site in the evening to the host site within St. Mary’s County.
- Driver are also needed for pick up at the host site in the morning and drop off at registration site.
- You can sign up for either the am pick up or the pm drop off, but we would like to have drivers to commit to at least 2 shifts a month.
If you are interested in being a volunteer van driver, please contact: Ursula Harris 301-475-4200 x71658 [email protected]
