October Share the Plate Partner is Room In The Inn

When someone experiences hospitality and safety and a feeling of belonging,
they experience sanctuary. ~ Charles Strobel, founding director

GNUUC will be sharing the plate with Room In The Inn in October. Last year, we resumed hosting overnight guests as part of RITI’s Winter Shelter program, which includes sending guests on their way with a sack lunch. We will assemble the lunches for this winter after church on October 20. 

The program provides safe shelter, warm meals, and fellowship for our neighbors struggling with homelessness during the coldest months of the year. In the 2023-24 season, congregations provided more than 15,000 beds.

From RITI’s website:

Room In The Inn began in 1986 when founding director Charles Strobel, a priest at the time, offered peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to those in need gathered near his East Nashville church.

The concept has become a model for programs in 36 other cities, from Calgary, Canada, to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Our Mission

To provide programs that emphasize human development and recovery through education, self-help, and work, centered in community and long-term support for those who call the streets of Nashville home.

Our History

Room In The Inn began in the winter of 1985, when our Founding Director, Father Charles Strobel, opened the doors of his parish to individuals seeking sanctuary in the church parking lot. This simple act of kindness marked the beginning of Room In The Inn. In December 1986, four congregations committed to sheltering people experiencing homelessness through March 1987. By the end of that winter, 31 congregations had joined. Now, we have nearly 200 congregations from a wide variety of traditions and over 7,000 volunteers who shelter almost 1,500 men and women from November 1 through March 31 each season.

In 1995, we opened our downtown Campus, which offers emergency services, transitional programs, and long-term solutions to help people rebuild their lives. The opening of a 45,000 square foot facility in 2010 greatly enhanced our ability to support people through programs that emphasize health, education, employment, and housing. We do this work through building one-on-one relationships and offering hospitality to all who call the streets of Nashville home.

Our Core Values

Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love, we provide hospitality with a respect that offers hope in a community of non-violence.

Please give generously to Share the Plate with Room In The Inn this month!