Because You Showed Up: RITI 2025-2026

From Roof Above - Innkeeper Cher Lindbloom

Room In The Inn (RITI) provides safe shelter, warm meals, fellowship, love, dignity and belonging. A home for our neighbors, if just for one night.

The Innkeepers cannot begin to express their deep gratitude for all you have done to make a ‘home’ for our neighbors. Your participation has allowed all of us to walk faithfully alongside our neighbors and know them. Each of us, neighbor and volunteer, who finds their way into our RITI community comes with a story.

The BBC World Service reported a heartwarming story about a Cardiff couple who invited a homeless man into their home for Christmas dinner. This simple act of kindness morphed into 45 years, until he passed away, having spent nearly half a century surrounded by love, dignity, and belonging to the Parson family.

From Robin Buck, MPBC Innkeeper

Thank you for your faithful participation this year. It has been an exceptionally difficult season as we opened our doors to our homeless neighbors at both MPUMC and MPBC. The snow and ice brought added challenges, and yet you showed up with compassion, flexibility, and resilience—welcoming our neighbors not only overnight but throughout the day as well.

Because of your time, presence, and generosity, our neighbors had a warm, safe place to stay and abundant food to share. The impact of your service is real and deeply felt. Below you will see how your efforts kept people off the streets and provided dignity, hospitality, and care during some of the harshest days of the year.

MPBC's Room in the Inn 2025-2026 by the numbers

Neighbors served - 145 individuals overall (47 female, 39 male, 1 transgender)

• of these, 39 were children (from 18 families that we served over the season)
• ages ranged from 10 mos. to 75 years old
• some came to us more than once, so "bed nights" total is higher (see below)

17 nights we hosted = 235 beds and 705 meals provided to neighbors

These nights and meals were made possible by: 

• 220 MPB members, friends & family*
• est. 23 members of Charlotte Community of Mindfulness*
• 3 TTWS classes
• 1 family from Cornwell Center
• established 28 volunteers from 5 other organizations (churches/Queens University/Roof Above)