If you are a woman or a woman with children looking for a safe, warm place to stay overnight, Reno First United Methodist Church is opening its doors this week.
The church’s Fellowship Hall in downtown Reno will serve as a temporary warming center from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., beginning Tonight, Tuesday, November 11, through Monday, November 17.
The effort is part of a partnership between Reno First United Methodist Church, several other downtown churches, and the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality, known as RISE. Volunteers from the church and community are helping staff the center each night to ensure guests have a safe space to rest.
Each morning, Warm Hand Off volunteers will prepare a hot beverage station, offer hats and gloves, and greet guests with warm protein-packed to-go breakfasts that can be packaged in individual brown paper sacks.
According to the church newsletter, “In partnership with other downtown churches and the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality (RISE), Reno FUMC is about to open the doors to the Fellowship Hall to unsheltered women and families overnight for one week a month from November to March.”
This effort marks one of several upcoming warming opportunities expected through the winter months, as local churches and organizations continue to provide safe overnight spaces for those seeking shelter from the cold.
