Love INC opens shelter in Newberg for homeless women, children

   NEWBERG — Love INC (In the Name of Christ) of Newberg, which helps coordinate outreach among the city’s churches, is itself taking a big step — operating a new shelter for homeless women and children. But it will strongly depend on the churches for their help.
   The Newberg Commu-nity Shelter opened last month. It is at 215 S. Main St., next door to the Love INC office. At 6 p.m. every night, the shelter opens for needy women and children.
   The house used to be a duplex and was purchased by Newberg Foursquare Church. A doorway has been framed in, allowing access between the original two homes. It is now a three-bedroom home that will comfortably sleep 10.
   Each guest at the shelter receives a dinner, toiletry kit, hot shower, a bed for the night, a breakfast bag and a sack lunch kit on her way out the door. Every woman staying four nights in the shelter will be paired with a mentor who will walk beside her for a season of time.
  “When we use the gifts, talents and resources that God has given each of us, we can make a difference in the name of Christ,” said Polly Siler, Love INC Newberg executive director. “Working with 43 Christian churches and 92 agencies and organizations, Love INC acts as a clearinghouse to help meet this need.”
   It takes 225 volunteers to operate the shelter each month. The breakdown, says Siler, is:
  • 60 hosts/hostesses - staying overnight once a month;
  •30 dinner volunteers – preparing a meal once a month;
  •30 breakfast bag volunteers each making 10 bags once a month;
  •30 sack lunch kit volunteers each making 10 bags once a month;
  •15 mentors meeting once a week with shelter guests;
  •45 cleaners volunteering to clean once a month;
  •five administrative volunteers making reminder calls, e-mails and putting necessary paperwork together;
  •10 miscellaneous volunteers doing mending, transportation, medical runs and shopping.
   Siler said Love INC has been working for about a year developing the shelter’s policies and procedures and soliciting the initial volunteers. She says she is not aware of any other shelter programs operated in the Northwest by a Love INC program.
  “But that does not mean that it hasn’t been done,” she said. “There are 135 Love INC affiliates in the United States; each affiliate takes on the needs of their individual communities. The mission of Love INC is to mobilize the church, to transform lives and communities in the name of Christ. Love INC helps churches help people.
  “Our community has a growing population of people that are homeless. I believe that the Newberg Community Shelter will take a couple steps towardssolving homelessness in our community and make a difference in the name of Christ.”
   To get involved or for more information, phone 503-537-3999 orsend e-mail to info@loveincnewberg.org.