With bitterly cold temperatures in the forecast, a new warming shelter opened its doors in Wesleyville on Monday night at 3308 South Street.


The tragic death of a homeless Harborcreek man in 2013 motivated the Wesleyville United Methodist Church to start the shelter, after his frozen body was found in a wooded area nearby.


"We were all quite disturbed.  We have three warm buildings here at the church, and we knew we could do something," said Reverend Pam Gardner. "So this has been a year in coming, a lot of thought and prayer, and all of a sudden, an enthusiasm. That's our goal, to make sure no one suffers from the cold," she said.


Twenty-seven volunteers trained to work the
Wesley Warming Center
on Saturday, which opened its doors for the first time at 11pm on Monday. It's now the  eastern-most shelter in the Erie area, and will also be open on Tuesday and Wednesday.


"While we're in Wesleyville and serve Wesleyville and Harborcreek, we also have many people in our congregation from east Erie. So our community extends into east Erie and it's good to be able to help our neighbors as well," said Jack Brinling of Harborcreek, who is a member of the Wesleyville United congregation.


Food is available at the shelter for those who stop by, including soup, quick breads, cookies, and coffee.  There are even games to play, like ping pong and fuse ball, and a TV to watch.


Rev. Gardner says the shelter is an idea that received  huge community support, and is something that wouldn't have been possible without the help of volunteers.


"I hardly had a chance to talk between services because there were so many people wanting to help and make a difference," she said.


Cindy Myers of Wesleyville is one of those volunteers.


"They're going to come in hungry and cold," Myers said. "Being food certified in the kitchen, I decided to get a group of volunteers together to cook soup for tonight."


The church's shelter is affiliated with the Mental Health Association of Northwestern Pennsylvania, and will be open from 11pm to 7pm on nights when the temperature drops below 25 degrees.


More information on the shelter, as well as their Go Fund Me page, can be found on Facebook at