Issue date: 11/27/07 Section: NEWS

Media Credit: Roberto Rodriguez (left to right) Paul Herd, Sons of Thunder security, and Bart Urban, Sons of Thunder night manager, stand outside of the Sons of Thunder Motorcycle Ministries shelter located at 217 E. Hickory St. in Denton. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Roberto Rodriguez The vest of a Sons of Thunder member hangs inside one of the many dimly lit rooms inside the ministry located at 217 E. Hickory St. in Denton. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Roberto Rodriguez Glenda HÃ¥cker, Sons of Thunder treasurer, has been working at the ministry since he end of 2003. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Roberto Rodriguez Bart Urban, Sons of Thunder night manager, smokes a cigarette while waiting for Shelia Douglas, Sons of Thunder secretary, to take her turn during a game of Rummy Monday afternoon. [Click to enlarge]

As the temperature plummets, warm, indoor space becomes critical for Denton's homeless population.
Pat Patey of the Salvation Army in Denton, said the number of homeless in Denton is a "moving target."
On any given night, the Salvation Army has 25 available beds and they stay pretty much full, Patey said. On cold nights they will move the furniture out of the dining room and put mats down so the building can shelter about 40 people. It shows that some people can probably make do in nice weather but the cold does increase the need for a place to stay.
The Salvation Army does not permit people to stay after breakfast so one local group, Sons of Thunder Christian Biker Ministry, was established to supplement the efforts of the Salvation Army, but its certificate of occupancy is currently in limbo.
To assist Hurricane Katrina evacuees, Ben and Connie Carswell started the outreach group out of their own home, but soon outgrew it. They also outgrew a second home soon after, said Glenda Häcke, who handles most of the administrative work for the organization. She estimated they assisted 150 Katrina evacuees.
Sons of Thunder moved into its current location, a brick warehouse at 217 E. Hickory St., about two years ago and are currently purchasing it from Denton attorney Rocky Haire, Häcke said.
"Rocky wanted it to be a godly place so we opened our ministry here," she said.
The ministry offers a variety of services, including education and recovery groups.
"We have our GED class on Tuesday nights and on Thursday nights is our AA/NA Biblical version groups," Häcke said.
The Sons is not organizing its annual toy drive, but is still taking calls from needy families whom it tries to provide gift certificates. It is also accepting donations of blankets, coats, toys and cash.
"We have always done food drives, helped with medical bills and groceries," Häcke said.
She said the Sons fed approximately 50 people at the Thanksgiving lunch.
The city of Denton ordered the shelter to close its doors to overnight occupants until it could meet municipal fire code regulations on Jan. 25, 2007.
"We knew we weren't up to code, but we didn't want people sleeping in the streets and under bridges," Häcke said.
The organization is only permitted to allow people inside during the day, but if its status is changed, the ministry would begin charging people "on a sliding scale" to sleep there at night, she said. Häcke said their general contractor, who is currently snagged on an easement dispute with the Elks Lodge that borders the north wall of the building, hopes to "know something at the end of the week."

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