The Do-Gooder Corner: The Night Ministry.

The Night Ministry.

Started in 1976 to provide services to vulnerable youth and adults on Chicago’s nighttime streets, The Night Ministry continues its mission to serve. Although The Night Ministry is faith-based, it is not affiliated with any particular religion or congregation. The Night Ministry serves homeless and runaway youth, working poor adults, uninsured and under-insured individuals seeking medical assistance, and others who have fallen through the cracks of the social service system regardless of religious beliefs.

Do Gooders may have seen The Night Ministry’s Health Outreach Bus in the Uptown, Humboldt Park, Hyde Park and Uptown neighborhoods. The Health Outreach Bus is a custom-built bus providing free health care, STD testing, and referral assistance and hospitality to youth and adults from 7pm to 2am, six nights a week.

In addition to The Night Ministry’s Health Outreach activities, the organization also provides and Open Door Youth Shelter, which is the only shelter in Chicago that takes pregnant and parenting teens as young as 14, and a Youth Shelter Network.

There are many opportunities to get involved with The Night Ministry as an individual or with a group of your fellow Do Gooders. Some of the programs Do Gooders can get involved in are:

• - Freezin’ Fridays. Small groups of adults provide and serve hot soup and hot beverages on the nighttime streets in Lakeview neighborhood from November through April.

• - Sack Suppers. Small groups assemble sack suppers to be distributed from the Health Outreach Bus.

• - First Saturdays. Individuals can pack cookies and hygiene kits on the first Saturday of the month at The Night Ministry’s administrative offices in the Ravenswood neighborhood.

• - Health Outreach Bus. Individuals can volunteer on the Health Outreach Bus by providing hospitality.

• - Donate homebaked cookies or hygiene kits.

More information on The Night Ministry and ways to get involved can be found on their website at www.thenightministry.org or by contacting Gail Bernoff, Volunteer Coordinator at 773-506-6015.