By Jeff Schaefer
On Tuesday nights on the outskirts of the Elk Grove Village town center, the Christus Victor Lutheran Church is one of the three shelters run by PADS, or Public Action to Deliver Shelter, available for homeless people to get out of the cold weather and get a warm meal. Inside, the shelter is a dedicated group of volunteers who desire to help those in need.
Usually 20 to 25 volunteers work at the shelter throughout the day, which is divided into three shifts that run from 6 to 11 a.m., 11a.m. to 3 p.m., and 3 to 7 p.m.
The shelter has 40 mats available spread across six rooms for the homeless, who are referred to by the volunteers as guests. Aside from the sleeping rooms, there is a dining area with four tables and a television set up where people can eat and socialize with volunteers and other guests. There is also a supply room where guests could get shampoos, deodorants, clean undershirts and underwear, donated clothes and thermal clothing, razors, combs and haircuts offered for the guests.
On one recent Tuesday, volunteers were busy setting up the shelter for the night. In one classroom being turned into a room for eight male guests, Barry Carlson set up mats with an assistant.
Carlson, co-site manager for the shelter on the first Tuesday of the month, began volunteering at the shelter six years ago. Originally, he said his son needed credit for school and that he saw an article in the Chicago Tribune about PADS. So both father and son decided to volunteer for the program, although Carlson said he continued volunteering because he felt that he had to give something back.
For others volunteers like Patty McKisic, there are other draws.
“I enjoy talking to the guests,” said McKisic.
McKisic finds talking with guests one of the most rewarding aspects of volunteering. She says she started volunteering at the shelter when two of her girlfriends said they needed help.
“I’m just a worker bee,” she said, adding that she believes it’s important to keep busy when volunteering.
She also said that some people volunteer and leave when they’re done. But there are others who seem to have a greater passion for volunteering.
Rob McCracken, site director, has been working at the shelter for 17 years. His friend initially asked him to help with cleanup. He did and eventually became a co-site manager before ultimately becoming the head of the shelter.
While the maximum occupancy for the shelter is 40 guests, he said that no one is left out in the cold. If the weather is decent, the shelter will pay for a taxi to move guests to another suburban shelter, he said.
“We’ll buy things for our guests,” he said.
If somebody is working outdoors, they will pay for boots and clothing for them, he added.
All of the money the shelter receives is from donations, which according to McCracken, are plentiful, even with the current economic crisis that is also being felt at shelters and food pantries. Among its donors are churches, charities and other organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America.
McCracken says that while donations are important, so is volunteerism. In fact, the biggest reason that shelters close down, McCracken says, is because of a lack of volunteers.
“I always invite anyone in my circle to come and witness this,” McCracken said. “Once you see the need, you’d be cold-hearted not to help.”
On Tuesday nights on the outskirts of the Elk Grove Village town center, the Christus Victor Lutheran Church is one of the three shelters run by PADS, or Public Action to Deliver Shelter, available for homeless people to get out of the cold weather and get a warm meal. Inside, the shelter is a dedicated group of volunteers who desire to help those in need.
Usually 20 to 25 volunteers work at the shelter throughout the day, which is divided into three shifts that run from 6 to 11 a.m., 11a.m. to 3 p.m., and 3 to 7 p.m.
The shelter has 40 mats available spread across six rooms for the homeless, who are referred to by the volunteers as guests. Aside from the sleeping rooms, there is a dining area with four tables and a television set up where people can eat and socialize with volunteers and other guests. There is also a supply room where guests could get shampoos, deodorants, clean undershirts and underwear, donated clothes and thermal clothing, razors, combs and haircuts offered for the guests.
On one recent Tuesday, volunteers were busy setting up the shelter for the night. In one classroom being turned into a room for eight male guests, Barry Carlson set up mats with an assistant.
Carlson, co-site manager for the shelter on the first Tuesday of the month, began volunteering at the shelter six years ago. Originally, he said his son needed credit for school and that he saw an article in the Chicago Tribune about PADS. So both father and son decided to volunteer for the program, although Carlson said he continued volunteering because he felt that he had to give something back.
For others volunteers like Patty McKisic, there are other draws.
“I enjoy talking to the guests,” said McKisic.
McKisic finds talking with guests one of the most rewarding aspects of volunteering. She says she started volunteering at the shelter when two of her girlfriends said they needed help.
“I’m just a worker bee,” she said, adding that she believes it’s important to keep busy when volunteering.
She also said that some people volunteer and leave when they’re done. But there are others who seem to have a greater passion for volunteering.
Rob McCracken, site director, has been working at the shelter for 17 years. His friend initially asked him to help with cleanup. He did and eventually became a co-site manager before ultimately becoming the head of the shelter.
While the maximum occupancy for the shelter is 40 guests, he said that no one is left out in the cold. If the weather is decent, the shelter will pay for a taxi to move guests to another suburban shelter, he said.
“We’ll buy things for our guests,” he said.
If somebody is working outdoors, they will pay for boots and clothing for them, he added.
All of the money the shelter receives is from donations, which according to McCracken, are plentiful, even with the current economic crisis that is also being felt at shelters and food pantries. Among its donors are churches, charities and other organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America.
McCracken says that while donations are important, so is volunteerism. In fact, the biggest reason that shelters close down, McCracken says, is because of a lack of volunteers.
“I always invite anyone in my circle to come and witness this,” McCracken said. “Once you see the need, you’d be cold-hearted not to help.”
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