DENVER — Leadership at the Denver Friends Church said with an extreme-cold front set to settle on Denver, they wanted to do something to support those in need.
Senior pastor Keith Reeser made it his mission to help migrants who are living on streets and need a warm place to spend the night.
"I could have never imagined this is how our gym would look on a Thursday morning, it doesn’t look like this, if you can imagine, but for today, it looks like this because we are trying to serve, we are trying to be available," Reeser said.
Denver Friends Church converted its gym into a temporary, overnight warming shelter. Reeser said the city approved the space to accommodate 29 people with beds, hot water and most importantly, a place out of the cold.
"It’s the potential for death, the amount of extreme cold we’re about to experience and they know it’s cold, but they don’t know it’s going to get colder and I wasn’t even able to express that through my translation app," Reeser explained. "It’s going to get worse tonight, tomorrow and the next day."
Wednesday night was the shelter's first night of operation. Reeser said everything was ready, from laid-out mats to a full staff of volunteers. The only thing missing: migrants.
"We kind of ran into this, 'What in the world?' 'What just happened?,'" Reeser said.
Reeser said in the first, few hours of opening, no one came to the church. But he didn't wait — he knew there were people freezing on the streets of Denver and went out to find them.
He said a contact of his shared where a group of migrants were living out of their tents.
"A ping on a map is what was sent to me and I was able to get to them," Reeser said. "They were living under a bridge. It was about 150 yards from the ping they had sent me. It’s an overwhelming experience I never would have imagined I would be walking under a bridge to engage with people."
He and his volunteers brought about 13 migrants from under Tower Road in Green Valley Ranch back to the church.
"The joy that was on their faces was beautiful," Reeser said.
The migrants were able to stay the night and get transportation back to their tents in the morning. Reeser said car service isn't going to be a daily offering, but as temperatures remain below freezing, the shelter will be open.
Reeser expects the first group of migrants will return for future nights in the shelter, but hopes word continues to spread that there are beds available.
"If you know someone, go to them and say 'Do you know how cold it’s going to get?' and 'Do you know where shelters are?' That’s really the main message that has to come out at this point," Reeser said.
The shelter is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., as resources and volunteer staffing allow.
You can donate by clicking here and submitting donations under the 'Venezuelan Migrant Ministry' category. Donations sent in this category, Reeser said, will solely be used for the shelter and as an aid fund to help migrants. If you would like to volunteer, click here.
Reeser said at "bare bones," the church can operate as a warming shelter, but with volunteers, people can stay overnight and get support.
"These are human beings that need a chance," Reeser said. "And they need to be shown love and be dignified and have a life that’s worth pursuing. A life that is valued."
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS