Volunteers needed for overnight warming center

Welcome back to another Spotlight Series with Sarah!
The series where the writer gets to know the city more personally, while the readers get to know the writer better in the process.
I’ve been writing for The Wayne Dispatch for almost four years now, however, The Wayne Dispatch and I go way back. I wrote for the paper for one summer during my college years and I was featured in The Wayne Dispatch before I ever even wrote for it.
If you’ve been a Wayne Dispatch reader for some time now, then you might remember the cover story from 2013 about a WMHS senior overcoming obstacles after early years without home. That high school senior was me.
When I was young, my parents got divorced. My father refused to sign the quit claim deed to our house. Since the house was not under my mom’s name, she legally couldn’t pay the bills, and we ended up getting evicted.
We stayed in a hotel, we slept in our car, and then we lived in a homeless shelter.

Sarah with volunteers in the Lighthouse home mission warming center.

I was in the third grade when all of this happened, but I remembered enough of it that I was able to share my experience my senior year of high school.
During my senior year at Wayne Memorial High School, I wrote for the school newspaper. Without knowing about my past, Mrs. Koch, the newspaper teacher, suggested we do a ‘No Home f or the Holiday’ theme for our December issue. I offered to write a personal narrative about my experience living in a homeless shelter.
My personal narrative was published in the WMHS’s December 2012 issue and then The Wayne Dispatch published it in its February 2013 issue as well.
I submitted my piece to the MIPA Spring Conference at Michigan State University in April 2013 and won first place for Personal Narrative and second place for Professional Published Page.
As you might recall from a previous Spotlight Series with Sarah, I went on to receive my journalism degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in April 2017. I grew to have a passion for helping the less fortunate through missions and volunteer work.
I’ve gone on three international mission trips with my home church to Haiti twice and Honduras, I’ve volunteered at a camp for foster children two years in a row and have continued to participate in as much volunteer work as my schedule allows.
So when I heard about a volunteer opportunity at a warming center for the homeless during the winter months, I jumped at the chance, as this was close to my heart.
I called Rev. Tim Cokely to find out what days volunteers were needed, and he listed a few options for that week and the next. I picked a day that I knew both myself and my brother, Solomon, were available (since Solomon mentioned he’d like to volunteer as well) and asked Rev. Cokely if I needed to bring anything. He said he’d let me know.
The day of, on Thursday, January 23rd, Rev. Cokely called me and asked if I would be willing to bring some food to the center that night. It was last minute, but I knew I could figure something out.
I told my mom about my predicament, she called Little Caesars, explained the situation, and they offered to donate four pizzas to the cause. So after I got off work, I stopped by Little Caesars to pick up the pizzas (three pepperoni and one cheese) and headed to Lighthouse Home Mission (LHM) with Solomon to volunteer at the warming center.
We knocked on the locked door and had no idea what to expect.
A man opened the door and greeted us. With no judgment he asked if we were here to stay for the night or to volunteer. We informed him that we were here to volunteer and then were pointed to the intake desk to the left of the door.
I walked over and signed both of our names on the volunteer sheet that was sitting on the desk and then we were given a volunteer name tag to wear.
Tina was the volunteer at the intake desk, and after letting her know this was our first time here, she began to explain the different roles within the warning center.
There was a volunteer needed at the intake desk that would check-in the clients (people in need of the warming center), a volunteer serving the food, a volunteer serving the drinks, and a volunteer standing by the door for security purposes (typically a man) that would check bags as clients entered the center for the night.
That night, Tina was doing intake, Marje was serving food, Jessica was working drinks, and Rich was on door duty.

Sarah with volunteers at the Lighthouse home mission food pantry.

Jerry, one of the residents that lives at the center 24/7 and works closely with Rev. Cokely, offered to give Solomon and me a tour of the building.
He showed us the food pantry, the clothing pantry, the chapel where the men sleep at night, and the pile of items for the annual yard sales.
There were things everywhere and it was a lot to take in, but it was amazing to see what one building was doing for so many people within the community.
Eventually, we headed back into the warming center area, and Solomon worked the door with Rich, while I sat down at the intake desk with Tina. I learned that Tina has been volunteering here since 2016. Not only does she check-in these clients, but she gets to know them and builds a relationship with them.
The warming center does not give handouts, but it gives a hand up to those that are down on their luck.
Clients (both new or returning) sign-in for the night and are able to get out of the cold, have access to hot food, drinks, clothes, hygienic items, and can sign-up for a shower. For lights out, men sleep in the chapel and women sleep in the warming center area. They are taken outside for two smoke breaks before lights-out.
New clients have to fill out a questionnaire that allows the center/volunteers to understand every clients’ reason for needing shelter and their individual needs moving forward. Clients can stay up to 30 days, which allows them time to get back on their feet.
I was able to watch Tina check-in two new clients that night and watch her get to know these people as individuals, not just as people in need.
Eighteen clients signed in that night. The temperature was in the negatives that week, so I was honestly a bit surprised there weren’t more.
Solomon and I decided we would come back the next night and see what else we could do to help. So on Friday, January 24th, we returned to LHM to volunteer again.
We knocked, the door was opened, we signed in and grabbed our name tags from the night before. I learned that the Westland Civitan Club volunteers every Friday night in the warming center, so Solomon and I headed into the food pantry area to help sort food that had just been delivered that day.
LHM received food deliveries twice a week (Monday and Friday) from Gleaners Community Food Bank and Forgotten Harvest.
You might think that sounds like a lot of food, and you’d be right. Aside from a grocery store, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much food in a singular location. There was anything and everything you could think of like: bread, desserts, fruits, vegetables, packaged foods, frozen foods, breakfast foods, baking needs, baby food items, snack items, juices, protein drinks, fresh meat, and so much more.
There were around 14 freezers, including a walk-in freezer, throughout the entire building that were completely filled with meats and dairy products.
The hallway was filled with shopping carts loaded with food for people (with a need within the community) to come in during the weekdays to pick up food. Within the next few days, all the food that I was looking at would be gone, and then a new delivery would come in that would need to be sorted, and the cycle continues.
So, our job for the night was to get everything sorted and organized for the upcoming week. To my untrained eye, I had no idea where to start, but to Paola, this was just another Friday night.
On Wednesday and Friday, Paola’s the one you report to. She’s been volunteering with the food pantry for 20 years and she knows how things should look, where things should go, and how to get the job done.
For the night, Solomon’s job was working with another volunteer, Andre, using the pallet jack to move the pallets around and using the hand truck to move boxes. Paola’s son, Alessandro helped out the guys.
I, on the other hand, did a lot of busy work sorting and organizing items, combining items within boxes to save room, throwing away damaged or bad products, and running around helping Paola with whatever task she was working on.
At one point, we had to head into the warming center area to load some of the meat into the freezers in that room. Each freezer contained a specific meat (i.e. beef, chicken, fish, ground meats, and so on).
If you enjoy playing tetris, then you would enjoy loading the freezers and having to stack items that match shapes and sizes. The goal is to keep everything organized and efficient.
Aside from working, it was nice being around the clients again and seeing familiar faces from the night before. I checked the sign-in sheet and saw 15 clients had signed in that night.
After all the meat had been loaded into the freezers, we headed back to the food pantry area and worked until close to 11 p.m. Paola never really stopped moving and I was running out of gas by the end of the night.
Solomon enjoyed the work he was doing and before we even left, he told me he wanted to come back on Fridays again to help. As tired as I was, I felt fulfilled, and knew I’d like to come back and help again too.
Lighthouse Home Mission was started over 35 years ago by Pastor Ruby Beneteau in her own home. In partnership with the Full Gospel Temple Church, LHM now has a food pantry, clothing pantry, soup kitchen, and warming center.
The warming center has been open for over 20 years.
“It’s important because of the cold winter months, they [the clients] don’t really have anywhere to go. There’s no other warming center in Western-Wayne available. If it wasn’t us, then where would they go?” said Rev. Cokely.
Rev. Cokely has been with the warming center for about 20 years.
“I understand what they’re going through. I’ve been homeless myself,” said Rev. Cokely.
In the past, Cokely was married with two kids. He worked two jobs, but it started to wear on him. His focus switched from “family” to “beers with coworkers.” He became dependent on alcohol.
“I needed help but didn’t cry out for help,” said Rev. Cokely.
Eventually, Cokely lost his wife and kids, he lost his jobs, and he became homeless.
One winter night, he slept in a cardboard box in Detroit. The next morning, a man (who Cokely calls his angel) told him about a warming shelter in Westland. That shelter was LHM.
Cokely went to the warming center and stayed the night. He laid on the floor, crying, and prayed to God that “if you help me, I’ll serve you for the rest of my life.”
During his stay at LHM, he was able to get assistance from volunteers and programs provided by the center. He was taken to job interviews and became employed again.

Lighthouse home mission volunteer organizing the clothing pantry.

“I got back on my feet, I retired, and then God came knocking on my door, saying ‘Remember that promise you made to me?’” said Rev. Cokely.
Cokely returned to LHM and was asked if he wanted to run the warming shelter.
“Everything they’ve been through or are going through to come to our warming center, I can understand. I’ve been there, done that. I know the mental aspect of being without, feeling worthless, abandoned, all of those things. I can identify with it,” said Rev. Cokely.
Cokely accepted the role.
“I think God allowed me to go through that to give me more compassion towards them,” said Rev. Cokely. “I thank God for using me, it keeps me humble.”
LHM offers assistance for mental illness, recovery programs, domestic violence, obtaining IDs and birth certificates, employment opportunities, and more.
“A lot of the entities that we have, other centers do not,” said Rev. Cokely. “Help is all around us.”
LHM also does referrals. This is an option for those that need assistance with something and don’t know who else to call. This can include: finding a clinic, emergency foods, utilities, gas cards, rent that is short during winter months, etc.
“Anybody could be one paycheck away from being homeless,” said Rev. Cokely. “We’re here to give them a hand up. We meet them at their need. Opportunities are always there.”
Appointments for food and clothing are required by phone only, Wednesday and Fridays 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Soup kitchen is open Monday – Friday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Referrals are Tuesday and Thursday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Warming center is open January 1st – March 31st, 7 p.m. – 8 a.m.
“Clients could leave the warming center at 8 a.m., come back for food at the soup kitchen, and then come back for the night,” said Rev. Cokely. “I’m so grateful we’re able to do that.”
For as much as LHM does for those in need, it needs support from the community to remain functional.
If you’d like to help, the warming center needs the following items: winter apparel (coats, boots, socks), men’s underwear, hygienic items, cleaning supplies, coffee, canned goods, paper plates, and plastic utensils.
LHM is in need of volunteers for the soup kitchen, clothing pantry, food pantry, and warming center.
The warming center needs volunteers for intake and food service from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m., as well as overnight supervision from 11 p.m. – 8 a.m. Overnight supervision is crucial in ensuring a safe and secure environment for the clients while they sleep.
LHM also does a yard sale twice a year (in April and September). They are in need of items to be donated, volunteers for donation pick-ups, and volunteers during the yard sale.
“There are so many different ministries, we need all hands on deck,” said Rev. Cokely. “If you’re willing to help, we’ll gladly put you to use. If you need help, we’re willing to meet you where you are.”
If you’re interested in volunteering for the warming shelter, call Rev. Tim Cokely at (734)772-2230. If you’re interested in any of the other volunteer opportunities with LHM, call (734)326-3885.
Lighthouse Home Mission and Full Gospel Temple Church is located at 34033 Palmer Rd, Westland. For more information about Full Gospel Temple Church, visit fgtonline.org
Be sure to volunteer and support Lighthouse Home Mission and be on the lookout for the next Spotlight Series with Sarah!