(November 7, 2006) — Looking for a place to help out during the holidays?

Grace Urban Ministries needs youth groups and others to provide warm meals on Tuesday nights. Plus, they need donations of personal hygiene items, canned food, warm coats, boots, hats and gloves.

"Think about what it takes to get yourself out the door and looking presentable for work," said Jennifer Wolfley, program director of the Mary Magdalene Women's Outreach Center, part of Grace Urban Ministries. Think about shampoo and other items that could help people feel better about themselves, she added.

Wolfley and others at the center in northwest Rochester offer HIV/AIDS testing, clothing, workplace training and a bathroom to get washed up in. Many of their clients are homeless or barely getting by financially.

"And it's already winter for people who are homeless," she said.

Groups that are interested in helping with the Tuesday dinners should prepare the meals off-site and bring them to the center, 860 Dewey Ave., for serving. Typically, 40 or 45 people attend, but the number increases toward the end of the month when budgets are stretched thin.

The food is appreciated, Wolfley said, but so is the sense of community that comes from eating together.

"This becomes their home away from home."

MGREGORY@DemocratandChronicle.com