It’s been a long 15 months since Covid-19 hit us hard in Adrian. Businesses shut down. Schools closed. Travel was limited. Finally, things are beginning to open up, but there is a segment of our population still suffering. Share the Warmth, a sixty-bed homeless shelter in Adrian has had to pull up their boot straps to get their guests through this horrible pandemic. And they are doing it with grace and the helpfulness of those in the community.
March 15, 2020, Share the Warmth, per government restrictions, weren’t allowed to let their guests come and go as they pleased. Guests had to stay in the shelter or risk not being welcomed back until the pandemic was over. That means residents have been stuck indoors for over a year, only allowed outside for an hour a day.
Emma Salazar, Shelter Manager, is looking forward to better days. Ninety percent of the guests and staff are fully vaccinated. She hopes July will bring some normalcy back to their shelter. “The majority of our guests are here due to domestic abuse, mental health issues, and drug addiction,” Emma told me. Currently, residents at Share the Warmth provides much-needed counseling via Zoom.
Now, as restrictions are loosening, Share the Warmth is welcoming 1 to 2 new residents per week.
If you would like to help Share the Warmth assist our Adrian community, donations of paper products, laundry pods, disinfectant spray, and gloves are welcome. What they would like the most is volunteers, as volunteers are the backbone of their mission. Currently, they are in need of 7AM — 10 AM volunteers to serve breakfast and be a comforting influence on guests. From 5:30–8:30, volunteers are needed to assist with guest check-in. Most desperately, Share the Warmth is looking for volunteers to work the 11 PM — 7 AM shift that monitors cameras in the volunteer room. Often guests will need medication such as Tylenol or have a health issue that requires someone to call for an ambulance.
If you are unable to help the shelter by volunteering, there are other ways to help. On Saturday, August 28, 2021 is the Share the Warmth 6th Annual Golf Outing at the Hills of Lenawee Golf Club. Play a round of golf (scrambles) and assist your neighbors who have no address. You can enjoy a day of fun in the sun and help a worthy cause. If you aren’t a golfer, you can donate here.
Share the Warmth was founded by Helen Hendricks in 2016. Tragically, Helen passed unexpectedly in April. She lived every day sharing her love and comfort to those in need.
Share the Warmth mission is to provide year round services for those in need. They partner with other local organizations to provide healthcare, jobs, and most of all — hope. Please consider reaching out to this important resource in our community and join the effort to keep our most vulnerable population safe, fed, and guided to a life of self-sufficiency. While we all strive to shop local, we also need to be mindful to aide our fellow humans locally. There are many in our area who need not just a hand-out, but a hand up.
Share the Warmth is located at 427 W. Maumee, Adrian, Michigan.
#HiddenGems