Share the warmth

The sign above the stage at the Salvation Army in Adrian – Share the Warmth – welcomes the homeless guests who gather there each night from the first of November until the end of April. This is the fourth year that “Share the Warmth” has been offered in the Adrian community.
Twenty churches from Lenawee and Jackson counties provide about 50 volunteers a week to care for the guests. Bill Linsner and Gene Hausmann coordinate for their churches, St. Mary on the Lake, Manitou Beach and St. Joseph Shrine, Brooklyn, twice during the season. Volunteers greet, prepare dinners, fix and serve breakfast, do laundry and clean the facility each day. They visit, play cards or watch television with the guests.
Several of the guests shared how well they are treated. One young man said he has spent more than half of his life in shelters and the Adrian volunteers treat the guests like kings and queens. Another man said, “The program helps people. It changed my life.”
If you live in Lenawee or Jackson counties and would like to volunteer, contact your parish office or the Salvation Army in Adrian at 517.265.2038 or adriansa.volunteerfirst.org.