Around 60 homeless people rescued from cold weather last weekend by volunteers of Colorado Springs church
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Given the several days of sub-freezing temperatures, it's quite likely that volunteers from the Rock Family Church saved lives by transporting transients and others experiencing homelessness into shelters for warmth and safety.
Volunteer leader Victor Saldana said that before his team made its rounds on Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights, it received training from two agencies that operate temporary church shelters.
"We visited homeless camps in the church shuttle bus and went to places recommended by police, firefighters and the shelters," he explained. "We transported around 60 people. Those who didn't want to go, we talked with them and prayed with them. "
Volunteers defied skeptics who believed the effort was potentially dangerous.
“Aren’t you afraid?" Saldana recalled being asked. "It’s homeless people, they’re kind of out there. I’ve heard they’re crazy, violent.”
He said that the volunteers had a peaceful weekend trying to convince homeless campers to get out of the cold.
"All they really wanted was someone to talk with, someone to listen to them," Saldana said. "That's what we tried to do."
He shared the story of Tim, a man with an unfriendly dog who was reluctant to go to a shelter until volunteers brought him to one that accepted pets.
"The dog had to stay in a kennel but we allowed the man to sleep next to it," he said.
Another story was about Amber, a woman found sleeping on a bus stop bench.
"It took us a while to wake her up," Saldana said. "You could tell that she had been out there for a while. Her face was red."
The team also distributed hand and foot warmers and food.
"We had some cold pizza," Saldana said. "We even stopped at Taco Bell once."
A sad moment came on Monday night, when the volunteers learned that a man -- possibly homeless -- had died near one of their stops.
“Sometimes, you don’t reach them in time," Saldana said. "And that’s the way it is. They’re in a better place, but it still gets you.”
He said that the people he helped, touched his life the way he touched theirs.
"I'm going to go back and check on them," he said. "Even though I'm not good with names."
