Holiday Shelter Needs Volunteers

More than 1,000 homeless men and women are expected at the fifth annual Mayor’s Holiday Shelter next week, a mayor’s spokeswoman said Monday.

Medical attention, showers, haircuts, clothing, dinner and lodging will be available to the homeless in Plaza Hall at the Community Concourse for three nights, beginning Sunday.

Organized activities and entertainment featuring singers, an African storyteller, the Curbside Players (a group of homeless musicians) and others are planned.

“What has made this shelter so successful year after year has been the tremendous effort of volunteers,” Mayor Maureen O’Connor said. “They treat each person coming into the shelter as if he or she were a guest in their own home.”

With less than a week to go, however, the shelter is about 400 volunteers short of the 1,000 needed to work the shelter’s various 4-hour shifts.

Volunteers should call United Way Volunteer Center at 492-2121. Barbers and beauticians can volunteer to give haircuts by calling Chris Urquhart at Episcopal Community Services, 260-8128.

Blankets, ribbons or bows for tree trimming, used books, letter writing materials, men’s clothing, trial-size hygiene items and board games are among needed items.

Blankets can be brought to branch libraries and local fire stations until Friday. All items can be dropped off at the city operations building parking lot, on A Street between 1st Avenue and Front Street, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday and Monday.