By: Katie Sobiech
As the snowflakes begin to fall this winter most of us will be blessed enough to have a roof over our head, sip a nice cup of hot cocoa if we’d like, and even sit by a warm fireplace. For others, this won’t an option. Instead of celebrating, they will worry where their next meal will come from and if they will stay warm enough and even make it through the winter.
Thanks to a local homeless shelter, The Haven of Rest, a huge burden is lifted off of the homeless.
The Haven of Rest began in 1943 with one couple who dared to make the dream that God placed in their hearts a reality. Rev. and Mrs. Charles C. Thomas’s burden for the poor led them to open their hearts and welcome the homeless to stay in their own home. Starting out as a small storefront rescue mission, it has blossomed into the largest homeless center in the Summit-Portage-Medina-Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne-Holmes county area – and a valuable asset to our community. This year they will celebrate 68 years of ministry.