ROCHESTER, Minn. -
At the Salvation Army Warming Center, Edwin Jahn is enjoying the company of Nathan Rockey, a volunteer and Mayo medical student.
"Nobody realizes it but everybody is one bad decision and one paycheck away from being right here at the Salvation Army," Jahn said.
Rockey is spending his weekend serving others, conceding he often takes the necessities of life for granted.
"To not have to think about the cold, we think about the cold, but it's not as real or as life and death," Rockey said.
For John Parker, whom we spoke to last week when the center was not an option, having a warm, safe place to sleep is a godsend.
"Last night, I was sleeping up in the stairways in the South area," Parker said.
Any time at all outside is bone chilling.
"My trip from here to the Salvation Army, it's enough time for the cold to get into my bones," Parker said.
Rebecca Snap, the Director of Community Engagement for the Salvation Army, needs more volunteers to fuel the Center.
"We need to have at least four people every single night during every shift and we have two shifts every night," Snap said. "So to be able to find upwards of 8 people every day that we're open. It's just kind of tough when you don't have a big pool of people to reach out to."
To watch Rockey moving around the Center is to see a man giving with both love and gratitude -- his work a blessing upon both those he helps and upon himself.
"There's just still lots of inequity and so that is kind of the frustrating part and I think that as a society, seeing that is a good reason to come in and try to be better," Rockey said.
Snap says she needs more volunteers for next week from 7pm to 1am or 1am to 7am. Here is the link to the application.