Hillsdale County’s emergency overnight shelter will open for its fifth season on Nov. 1.

“Our mission is to provide a warm, safe place for people to get out of the cold at night in Hillsdale County,” said Penny Myers, executive director of Share the Warmth of Hillsdale County. “There should never be nowhere to go.”

This year marks the fifth season of the shelter’s services to Hillsdale County residents in need. It operates from evening until 9 a.m., providing guests with a place to sleep as well as meals, clothing, toiletries, laundry and shower facilities. Sozo Church houses the shelter at 7 S. Manning St. in Hillsdale.

The warming center is a nonprofit operated by volunteers who work in the facility from November to March and is fully funded by community donations.

The shelter can house up to 20 residents per night, Myers said, although occupation ranges from five to 15 people on a typical night. Myers said that some guests will occasionally come for dinner or breakfast but will not stay the night.

“When they come in at night, we launder their street clothes, provide them pajamas for sleeping, and give them dinner, and we also try to make sure that every person has a pair of boots,” Myers said.

Myers encouraged college students and members of the community to volunteer at the warming center for night shifts, which go from 12 to 3 a.m. and from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.

“You will have opportunities to get to know these people, hear their stories, and just know that they’re people like all of us,” she said.

Those who are interested in furthering the mission of Share the Warmth but cannot volunteer during the normal night shifts can donate goods like clothing or fresh food, or sign up for cleaning and laundry shifts during the day, Myers said.

Four Hillsdale College students volunteer at Share the Warmth, including junior Leo Bykerk, who has volunteered for a night shift at the shelter for three years.

“It’s been a good source of camaraderie with the buddies I do it with,” Bykerk said. “When you’re waking up at 3 a.m. on a regular basis with the same guys, you get to become really good friends.”

Myers said the community has fully supported the warming center by donating food, clothing, and financial resources, as well as volunteering and contributing to the actual day-to-day operations of the shelter.

“The people in the community provide everything that we use in the building,” Myers said. “We get no government funding.”

Myers said her work at the warming center is fulfilling and meaningful.

“I remember leaving the shelter one night and talking to a few guests on my way out. They said to me ‘we just want to thank you so much for doing this,’” Myers said. “Every day they are so thankful. Every year we see at least two people get off the streets and move into an apartment. It’s very rewarding work.”

Myers said she and the warming center’s board members hope to start applying for private grants so they can purchase their own building.

“These people count on us now and the need for a full-time center is growing,” Myers said. “This is what God has called us to do, and this community has just rallied around us.”