Only a handful of homeless people showed up at designated pick-up points Saturday and Sunday nights for shelter to escape winter’s first icy blast.

Eight people were sheltered at Port Coquitlam’s Northside Foursquare church during a snowstorm Saturday night and they all returned to get out of a torrential rainstorm Sunday, joined by three new people.

All were brought to the temporary shelter at 1477 Lougheed Hwy. in two 15-passenger vans that stopped at five pick-up points, one in each of PoCo and Port Moody, and three in Coquitlam. One woman who was expected and who didn’t show up was collected by outreach workers who went looking for her.

“She was delirious. If she would have stayed outside, she would have died,” said shelter co-ordinator Linda Rubidoux, who is also a pastor at Higher Ground, a ministry that runs out of Northside on Saturday nights.

“It all went very smoothly. The homeless were very thankful, very grateful,” said Rubidoux.

Two young men who are homeless and also working showed up to get out of the wet and cold, and because they wanted a wake-up call so they could get to work on time, Rubidoux said.

Volunteers served homeless soup and a bun Saturday night and spaghetti on Sunday night. For breakfast, there were muffins, porridge or cold cereal with milk and fresh fruit. Bag lunches with sandwiches and fresh fruit were handed out to those who spent the night as they were driven away at 7 a.m.

Rubidoux said it took no time at all to clean up the church after the homeless people left. Volunteers used special bleaches recommended by Fraser Health.

Saturday’s snowstorm proved to be a challenge for van drivers who barely made it up the hill from Lougheed Highway to Como Lake Avenue, said Rob Thiessen, whose Hope for Freedom Outreach Society organized the temporary shelter and is seeking approval for four more in Coquitlam and Port Moody.

“It was like God was saying, ‘Let’s see if you can do this?’,” Thiessen said.

He said fewer people than expected took advantage of the service but he expects more people will seek shelter as the word gets out and cynicism is replaced with understanding that the temporary shelter is indeed operating, at least until the end of the month.

Thiessen said he suspects some homeless people camped deep in the woods didn’t show up for fear of losing their belongings.

He said there were no disturbances at Northside and everything went as planned.

The vans dropped off homeless people at the shelter at about 10 p.m., and they ate and socialized until 11 p.m., when the lights were turned off. Hope for Freedom employees read and played cards, and kept an eye on things until the shelter wrapped up at 7 a.m.

No walk-ups are allowed and no one showed up to test the shelter policy.

• People wishing to contribute large zip-lock bags or fresh fruit, coats and blankets, socks and toiletries, including toothbrushes and toothpaste, can do so during office hours at Northside, 1477 Lougheed Hwy.

dstrandberg@tricitynews.com