Shivering in the cold on an overpass at the I-96 and Greenfield exit, a man stands holding a sign that reads, ‘Homeless and hungry. Please help.”

The man is among over 5,000 men, women and children in Detroit longing for food and a warm place to stay.

As many families gather at the dinner table in the comfort of their home on the Thanksgiving holiday, some will turn to local shelters for help.

Staff at area shelters hope citizens will spread thanks beyond their own tables to help those in need.

“At this time of year, the homeless are the most vulnerable. We want to ensure that the homeless population or those down on their luck are served,” said Candis Williams, executive director of the Homeless Action Network of Detroit. “The best way for people to give back is with their time. That’s why it’s important to volunteer. While people are laughing, eating and having a festive time, it’s important to remember those less fortunate.”

Carl knows firsthand the value of receiving something as small as a meal. The former drug addict visited the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) for a meal and received more than just physical food.

“I started using drugs at the age of thirteen,” he explained. “In June of 1985, I woke up hungry after sleeping on a park bench all night. Park benches, vacant buildings and doorways had become my places of refuge. My meals came from wastebaskets or handouts. One day I was told about a place called the Detroit Rescue Mission, a place where you could get a hot meal and a bed for the night. That night I heard the Gospel preached, and I talked to a counselor who saw I had a need for help. He placed me in the ministry program. I completed the program, found work and began to live on my own. I also joined a church. I started a gospel singing group called the New Day, consisting of four men who have overcome drugs and homelessness through the power of Christ. I now work for Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries. Here, I can help men who are now facing the same problems I went through.”

Over one million meals are served from the DRMM’s tables each year.

Statistics released by the mission note how more than 10,000 families in Wayne County will become homeless at least once during the next year.

Many of those will turn to the Coalition on Temporary Shelter for help.

“This is a really hard time of the year. We serve about 180 residents,” said Lynn Wilhelm, COTS development director. “We will have a full Thanksgiving dinner served here, with turkey and all of the trimmings. We are very, very blessed to have so many volunteers come out to help the needy.”

COTS is also preparing for the Christmas holidays, organizing volunteers and accepting donations to provide clothing and toys to families in need.

“We have an adopt-a-family program, where a group, individual or family can donate holiday presents for a family, usually clothes and educational toys,” added Wilhelm. “On Dec. 15, we will host a breakfast with Santa in the Fisher Building’s lobby. The cost is only $3 per child with an unwrapped new toy and $5 for adults with an unwrapped new toy. Children will enjoy several activities that include writing letters to Santa, face painting and eating breakfast with Santa and his friends. We want everybody to be able to celebrate together, not singling out kids in the shelter.”

As the homeless man’s hands tremble from holding his sign in the cold, a passerby gives him a box of chicken out of his car window. Readily, the man accepts the box and stoops on the side of the overpass to eat his meal.

“To receive a meal (at a shelter), means being able to share whatever thanks they have in a warm vibrant area, with food on the table,” said Wilhelm. “We want the public to remember those struggling to get just one meal, when they sit down to eat.”

• Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) (313) 993-4700

• Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND) (313) 831-9555

• Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS), Robin Smith, volunteer coordinator, (313) 831-3777, ext. 223.