It all began with two volunteers, Dorothy Miller and Nancy Bracken, who saw unhoused men sleeping rough on the streets of Michigan City in the harsh winter nights. Soon, others joined, and Interfaith Community PADs emerged. Volunteers showed up, night after night, to serve unhoused men in our community through our traveling PADS program. There was no permanent home at that time, no fixed address, just the kindness of our faith communities, who allowed us to use basements, rec rooms, and any place we could safely bring neighbors in from the cold. In those early days, just like now, our volunteers knew that showing up mattered.
A lot has changed since those early days, but the dedication brought by our community of volunteers remains steadfast.
We found our permanent home in the walls of the old Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and with it came the ability to open our doors wider, to men, to women, to mothers with children who had nowhere else to turn. Last year, we expanded into La Porte because the need didn’t stop at the city limits, and neither did we.
But through every chapter of this story, every cold night, every new face at the door, every milestone, one thing has remained constant. Our volunteers.
You were there when we were just getting started. You were there when we moved into something permanent. You were there on the freezing Tuesday nights when we needed you most and on sweltering days where the mercury remained high. Your stories, your memories, built from these moments and everything in between, combined with your presence, are woven into everything we have built.
As we reflect and celebrate 25 years, we want to make sure those stories don’t get lost. They’re important. Your time spent serving with Nest is important to us, the community, and those you’ve served.
Next month, we are hosting On The Record : 25 Years of Showing UP Volunteer Open House Event, a special gathering where former and current volunteers are invited to sit down with us, share a memory, and be documented on film as part of our official history. This is not a formal interview or a polished production. It is a conversation. Bring a story, bring a memory, bring whatever has stayed with you, and come share it with the people who were right there alongside you. Registration is encouraged but not required to let us know you’re coming. Please register for a free ticket here.
There is nothing to prepare and nothing to be nervous about. Just you, your story, and 25 years’ worth of reasons it matters.
This milestone was built by all of us. Come help us tell it.
