Volunteers Pass Aid, Not Judgment, at Cold-Weather Shelter in Brandon

Tom Huth can't remember who said it, or the exact words, but he can't forget the intent, to impress upon a populace that "the greatness of a country is measured by how well it takes care of its poor."

"I forgot who said it, but it's always stuck with me," Huth said Jan. 3, volunteering at the cold-weather shelter at the on Sadie Street.

Volunteering at the shelter, he added, "is a good calling."

It was Mahatma Ghandi who said, "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members."

It's this sense of giving, and reaching out, that brings volunteers back to the shelter every year when the temperatures hit freezing — which means 32 degrees, with or without the wind chill factor.

Don Heald, of the Greater Brandon Ecumenical Ministries, brought the food to the shelter, from the Latino Supermarket, which each night discards unused food from the day's commerce.

"I said, 'Let me take what I need,' and that's a whole bunch of food," Heald said, as the food he brought was prepared for serving. "I have the food to do it, and I make the time to get it done," he said. "You don't do it for a blessing, but you end up receiving one just the same."

Ryan Harrington said it's his third year volunteering at the shelter and that he, too, gets more than he gives from the task of helping others.

Harrington, Huth and Lynn Buehler were among the volunteers who came to the shelter through the coordination of Eleanor Saunders, the pastor's wife, at Bay Life Church in Brandon.

Harrington said he meets Sunday nights for a Bible study with his Life Group. The members wanted to do an "impact project," which is how they came to put together hygiene- and toiletries-kits for the cold-weather shelter visitors.

"Last year when we were checking bags I never saw hygiene supplies or hand sanitizer or Q-tips in anybody's bag," Harrington said, noting that the shelter checks bags to ensure that no weapons or alcohol are brought into the shelter.

"When I thought about it, I figured they must not have these [hygiene supplies]," Harrington said. "We provide a 30-day supply of the essentials."

The gift has been widely appreciated, he added.

"Only one person didn't accept it, and that's because they said they had [the supplies] and didn't want to take from others," Harrington said.

Huth said he was "very proud" that this year his daughter, Brianna, 17, a student at Foundation Christian School, wanted to join him in volunteering at the shelter.

"He asked me a couple days ago, if there was an opening, would I like to come," Brianna Huth said. "I didn't have a lot going on in school, so I came."

Her assessment?

"I really like it," she said. "It's just so awesome to be able to help these people and to see them smile. These people are very sweet. It's kind of cool to know them by name and not just as, 'that guy who sits on the corner.' "

As for Buehler, he said his reasons for volunteering are "to give back to the community."

"It's fulfilling to help out," he said, "to help the less fortunate."

A case in point, he noted, was a man he met a year earlier, a lawyer with a "brilliant mind," whose brother had been killed.

"It just tore him up," Buehler said. "He couldn't handle the drama. He wasn't an alcoholic, he just decided to live on the street."

Buehler said he used to be pretty judgmental, "but no longer," he added. "I used to feel like people should really be able to get it together, that there is no excuse not to. But life has taught me it's not that easy for some people."

The cold-weather shelter this season has been open for two days, Jan. 2 and 3. The doors close at 8 p.m. to those who seek shelter. By 8 p.m. Jan. 3, 25 people had checked in. The night before, 11 people had checked in.

Organizers expect the number to grow as word spreads among the homeless and others without heat that the shelter is open for business on Sadie Street.

 

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