LAMORINDA WEEKLY | St. Monica Volunteers Help Families as Part of Winter Nights Shelter


Preparing the evening meal Oct. 28 at St. Monica, from left: A. J. Johnson, Maura Clougher, Marilyn Wright, Jack Dice, Yvonne Colombo, Sonja Crumbaugh, Louis Meunier, Joan Patti, and Jan and Roger Olgesby. Photo provided

For two weeks, from Oct. 20 through Nov. 3, St. Monica Catholic Church was host of the Winter Nights program, a project of the Social Justice Alliance of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County that provides a clean, safe, and warm facility at night and a daytime services center during winter for homeless families with children. For privacy, each family has a tent set up indoors where they sleep and their belongings are transported to each participating location every two weeks. St. Monica has been involved since 2001 in the Winter Nights program as well as its predecessor program. The parishioners at St. Monica donated food, diapers, and other necessities that guests needed and made them breakfast and dinner daily as well as furnished them sandwiches for their lunch. A female and male volunteer slept overnight at the Peace Center (the location of Winter Nights) every night to be available for any need that arose. The program serves up to 30 persons at any given time. Congregations throughout central and east Contra Costa provide space, meals, and volunteers; several other Lamorinda congregations regularly host Winter Nights each year. Bedding is provided, and professional staff supervise the shelter 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about the program, contact the office of the Interfaith Council at (925) 933-6030 or visit cccwinternights.org.