Hypothermia Response
Hypothermia Response Ministry
For nearly 20 years, Fairfax Circle Church has partnered with local faith communities, Fairfax County, and the non-profit FACETS to support the Hypothermia Prevention and Shelter program. Every winter, hundreds of individuals facing homelessness seek refuge from the cold. From the Sunday after Thanksgiving until April 1, FACETS collaborates with over 50 faith communities to provide safe shelter and nutritious meals to our homeless neighbors.
Each year, Fairfax Circle Church participates in this program for one week in early March. During this time, we transform our building into a temporary shelter, offering guests a warm place to sleep, three daily meals, snacks, metro fare cards, activities and additional services. This impactful ministry relies on the support of many dedicated volunteers.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Hypothermia Response Week (HRW) is a wonderful opportunity to serve our homeless neighbors while housing them on our campus for a week. We provide our guests with a warm, safe place to stay and three meals each day. Below you will find simple job descriptions for our volunteer positions during the week:
Morning Guest Services (5:15-7:30am) - Gently awaken guests, serve a continental breakfast, and send them off for the day with a bagged lunch. Some minor clean up is involved.
Lunch Crew (1:30-2:30pm) - Prepare sandwiches and other bagged lunch items for our guests. Restock breakfast items and prep salad bar fixings.
Meal Planner (3:00-8:00pm) - Create the menu and meal plan for dinner. Work alongside the meal service volunteers to prepare, serve, and clean up the meal. Dishes are involved. Dinner is served at 6:00pm.
Meal Services (3:00-8:00pm) - Prepare, serve, and clean up dinner with a team of volunteers. Washing dishes and kitchen clean up is involved. Dishes are involved. Dinner is served at 6:00pm.
Dessert (by 5:00pm) - Provide 20 servings of your homemade dessert specialty (Cakes, pies, bars, etc.) and drop it off at the church by 5:00pm. Items other than brownies and cookies are preferred.
Evening Guest Services (4:45-10:30pm) - Welcome our guests and help them feel at home. Enjoy dinner, a movie, and/or some other evening activity with them. Clean up and reset the downstairs eating area after our guests head up to bed at 10:00pm, and set up overnight snacks and drinks upstairs. Hourly bathroom inspections are involved. Most of this shift is spent hanging out with our guests until a need arrises.
Late Night Guest Services (10:30pm-1:30am) - Quietly welcome any late-arriving guests, help them get settled, and offer to reheat a meal for them as needed. Most of this shift is spent in the church office while our guests sleep. Bathroom inspections are involved.
Spa Night (6:30-9:00pm) - Enjoy interacting with our guests in a relaxed atmosphere, while assisting with setting up, running, and cleaning up of manicure supplies and other spa items on Saturday, March 8.
Questions? Email us at: hrw@fairfaxcirclechurch.org
Some Statistics
- 31% of Fairfax County homeless are employed
- 51% are families mainly due to domestic violence
- 6% are military veterans
Contact Information
Email hrw@fairfaxcirclechurch.org
Ways to Help
- Pray. Pray that God will move you to participate, volunteer, donate, and open your heart to those in need
- Give. Donate money to the church, donate clothing items for the guests, donate supplies from the list below.
- Volunteer. Give your time through volunteer opportunities. Use the blue button above to sign up.
- Help Lead. We are looking for more people to help lead the ministry. If you are interested please email us.
Donation List
Hygiene Items:
- Travel size: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, bar soap, toothpaste, gold bond powder, lotion, hand sanitizer
- Toothbrushes (soft bristle)
- Washcloths
- Deodorant
Food Items:
- Individually wrapped snacks
- e.g., chips, snack cakes, trail mix, cookies, popcorn, toaster pastries, bars, pudding, gelatin, sandwich crackers, fruit cups, pretzels
- Individual bottles of juice
- Single serve, individual, cups of oatmeal and cereal
- “Fun Size” Candy (all varieties)
Other Items:
- Underwear & Socks (brand-new, variety of sizes)
- White t-shirts (brand-new, variety of sizes)
- Gently used shoes, clothing, and outerwear items
- Disinfectant spray (e.g., Lysol spray)
- Disinfectant Wipes (e.g. Clorox wipes)
- Fabric Air Freshener (e.g., Febreeze)
Partner Sites
- The Lamb Center
- Facetscares.org - Hypothermia Prevention and Response under "Programs"
- Fairfax County Office to Prevent Homelessness
- Community Solution
- FACETS
T-SHIRT ORDERS
As part of the fundraising effort for Hypothermia, we're selling Fairfax Circle t-shirts. They are $20/each, payment is due when the t-shirts arrive, they will be in before our Hypothermia Response Week. The deadline to request shirts is Sunday, February 9.
Hypothermia Team in Action
