BWARM is an overnight warming shelter for homeless men in St. Clair County.
Doors open at 5:30pm daily for intake.

Those in need of shelter are encouraged to call 810-824-3244 to determine eligibility.

For over 10 years, the Blue Water Area Rescue Mission (BWARM) provided help and hope to St. Clair County’s homeless. But the COVID pandemic and the staffing shortages experienced nationwide took a toll on BWARM, forcing the doors to close in early 2022. Today, nearly two years later, a community-wide effort helped us open the doors once again! 

In October of 2023, Renee Pettinger, a native of Marine City with more than 20 years of experience working with the homeless, moved back to the area to lead the effort to reestablish the Blue Water Area Rescue Mission as an overnight warming shelter for homeless men.

Volunteer Opportunities

We could not fulfill our mission to care for our neighbors without the faithful support of volunteers. Whether you are looking for an opportunity for yourself or your group, there are many ways to serve. To learn more about our most critical volunteer needs, please call the office at 810-824-3244 or email us at [email protected].

One of the best ways to learn about how you can plug in at BWARM is to take a tour behind the scenes. Give us a call and set up a tour today!

Groups Needed

If you’re looking for opportunities to serve as a church, organization, company or even family, BWARM is the place for you! Give us a call today to see what you and your group can do to help move BWARM forward for our neighbors in need.

Prayer Team

One of the simplest and yet most instrumental ways to care for our neighbors is to lift BWARM and the guests up in prayer. Requests are shared weekly via a Facebook group; in-person gatherings are also scheduled monthly. Call us today to be added to the group!

Community Life Volunteers

Calling all night owls and early risers! The Mission is in need of volunteers to serve on teams of two to four, building relationships with the shelter guests while helping supervise the shelter. A commitment of once/week for 4-6 weeks is needed. Can you find a few friends to join you in serving the guests of the shelter by covering one of the following shifts? Training is provided.  

5:30pm - 10:30pm – Highly interactive, this shift will spend time eating dinner and visiting with the guests.

10:30pm - 3:30am – A quieter shift with limited guest interaction. Perfect for a college student and the self-employed night owl. 

3:30am - 8:30am – A quiet shift until the guests begin to get up at 6:30am. This shift will assist in setting out breakfast and will also spend time assisting the guests before they leave the shelter at 8:30am. 

Provide a Meal

Individuals, families, churches, and civic groups are needed to provide meals for the shelter guests.

Dinner – Provide a soup or stew to feed 35 people and deliver it to the Mission. Donations of rolls or bread and salad are welcome as well. The meal must be dropped off by 5:00pm on your designated night of service. While not a requirement, volunteers are encouraged to stay and serve the meal too. Dinners are served seven days a week.

Breakfast – Provide baked goods and fresh fruit for breakfast. The meal may be dropped off by 8:00pm the night before service or by 7:00am on the day of service.

Laundry / Office Support

Individuals and/or teams of two are needed between 9:00am - 5:00pm to help answer the phones, manage donations and wash house and guest laundry. There are two shifts available, Monday - Friday. Training is provided.

Shifts available:
9:00am - 1:00pm
1:00pm - 5:00pm

Contact BWARM

Blue Water Area Rescue Mission
1920 24th Street
Port Huron, MI 48060

810-824-3244

[email protected]

Follow BWARM on Facebook

Thank you to our Renovation Sponsors!

D&M Dumpsters
Eighth Day Media
Alexander Construction
MSC Floors
Kitchen Tune-up

Bedrock Granite
Stephenson Electric
Dyck Security
Dano's Dumpsters
Thorpe Printing

Cedar Hill Graphics
Resolute Building Services, LLC
Flooring Edge
Blue Water Community Action