This is the week our church hosts women and children who are temporarily homeless. The program, CARITAS (Congregations Around Richmond To Assure Shelter) provides all kinds of help for all kinds of problems. Here you see some of our kids putting donated cookies into bags to go with lunches for our guests which they will then take with them when they go to school or work for the day. They return to our church at 5:30 for dinner and evening activities and bed, then leave each morning. Our week goes from Saturday evening to the following Saturday morning. Everyone in our congregation participates in some way, either transporting, doing laundry, cooking and serving meals, or the many other ways that keep this program running smoothly. There are about 30 in our group, and there are other groups around the city for families, single men, and women only. Many churches participate throughout the winter months. It is one of the ways we reach out to the community, and we get as much out of it as our guests do.
