Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2016

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cold season, the shelter was open 21
days and had about 700 guests. This
year Al again assumed the role of co-
director for the winter of 2015-2016,
working with his fellow co-director
Cecil Miles. The first two nights
this year the shelter had a total of
107 guests.
“This year we also
have the help of other
churches,” Al pointed
out. “We have some
local churches actively
involved, as well as
another one preparing
some meals for the
shelter.”
Other local
churches that have
sent volunteers for the
cold weather shelter
include First Methodist on the Isle
of Palms; First Baptist in Mount
Pleasant; East Cooper Episcopal;
Christ Church; and Bethel Church in
downtown Charleston. The volunteers
go through the necessary training to
stay overnight and help out with a
variety of tasks such as setting up cots
or cooking and serving meals.
Speaking of meals, y’all know
me – I had to ask about the food. Al
assured me that various businesses
around the community have gener-
ously provided meals for the shelter
guests, and the results have taken din-
ner from mediocre to marvelous.
“The food is good! We’ve had
Longhorn in Mount Pleasant, Harris
Teeter, Starbucks and too many other
places to name help in providing food
or preparing it,” he said.
Even dessert, I noticed, is on the
menu – when Brian and I stopped by
to see the volunteers hard at work and
snap a few photos, plates of freshly
baked pie graced the tabletops. Mean-
while, the smiling kitchen crew sliced
soft baguettes and whisked giant pots
of mashed potatoes.
Al confirmed as of press time that
as long as the need is there, the shelter
will operate in winter 2016-2017.
He’s hopeful that Hibben UMC – as
well as other interested churches and
individual volunteers – will continue
to keep the spirit of giving alive. He
agreed that, especially in the Charles-
ton area, a hot weather shelter could
also be useful, and that Hibben
United will “think about it for the
future.”
“Hibben United has beds and
the resources,” he commented. “But
other churches are probably planning
to shelter the homeless like this in
the future.”
Al was quick to point out that
categorizing homeless in one way or
another is doing them a disservice –
and that working the Hibben Shelter
has cemented his beliefs that those
without a permanent address are wor-
thy of compassion and respect.
“I meet these people, talk to them
and get to know them and they’re
amazing,” he said. “You can’t general-
ize all homeless people. It’s the thing
to do, to get these people out of the
cold. We have to open our doors, our
hearts and our hands.”
To find out more about the Hibben
Cold Weather Shelter and inquire about
volunteering, visit
news-a-events/cold-weather-shelter.