It's tough to help those who are in need when you are in need of help yourself, so the Wareham Lodge of Elks has stepped up to help local churches get homeless people off the streets in the winter months.

The National Elks Foundation recently awarded a $2,000 grant to the Nights of Hospitality program so that local churches can make upgrades to meet new safety regulations.

The Nights of Hospitality program opens the doors of five Wareham churches to the homeless at night when the weather turns bitter cold, and keeps them open until spring brings relief from the frigid temperatures.

This year, new state safety regulations threatened to shut down the program, but thanks to the grant from the Wareham Lodge of Elks, the churches are one step closer to making the mandatory changes.

"This coming year there's going to be some changes due to state building regulations for temporary shelters," said Pastor Dan Bernier of the Church of the Good Shepherd.

"We're going to have to do some converting of our spaces," Bernier explained. "We're trying to figure out how much it's going to cost."

In order to be up to code, the churches must be handicap accessible and have carbon monoxide monitors that are hardwired so they may be monitored 24/7.

While the exact cost of updating the churches isn't known yet, every little bit helps.

Elks Chaplain Rick Duffy said that another pastor involved in the program, Dave Shaw, asked him if the Elks might have some space available to house the homeless over the winter.

Duffy was already familiar with the program.

"The local Elks Lodge here has been helping us with Nights of Hospitality, providing two meals a week throughout the season for the last two years," said Bernier.

Unfortunately, Duffy knew it was unlikely that the Elks could help in the form of physical shelters.

"I just know the way the clubs are set up we would not be able to do that," said Duffy.

So, when an opportunity to help was presented to him in the form of a grant application, Duffy jumped on it.

"Back in March, our secretary at the Wareham Lodge of Elks came to me...the Elks National Foundation had a grant for $1,000, and what they want us to do is reach out into the community," said Duffy. "I thought about it, and I know the local churches are having a hard time housing the homeless," so he decided this was a great chance to try to lend a hand.

The Elks National Foundation not only approved the grant, they doubled it to $2,000.