LONDON – As storm Ophelia continues to pound the British Isles, a London mosque has joined a night shelter program to host homeless, offering them a warm bed and a hot meal.

“The fact that a mosque had finally agreed to open their doors one night a week throughout the winter period was a real breakthrough,” Hanan Chehata wrote on Ilmfeed on Saturday, October 21.

“I was not surprised to find out that it was Al-Manaar mosque in West London stepping up.”

According to Chehata, the mosque joined the shelter program organized by the West London Mission (WLM).

From October to May, the WLM offers homeless people who are registered with the scheme a place to eat and sleep each night.

The WLM practices an “inclusive Christian ethos” and partners up with several other faith groups.

Each night the homeless guests rotate from one location to another and this year the venues include 13 churches, one synagogue, and, for the first time, a mosque.

Under the program, Al-Manaar will open its doors as soon to shelter homeless and offer support.

This is not the first time for Al-Manaar mosque to serve the community.

It was a key community hub after the Grenfell Tower fire in June.

“Just minutes away from the site of the tragic blaze in which around 80 people are estimated to have lost their lives, the mosque, which had been the local place of prayer for many residents, took a decisive role in helping a grieving community in the midst of tragedy,” Chehata said.

“Al-Manaar is carrying on that spirit of service to the local community by working with the Westminster night shelter project and opening their kitchen, dinning room and halls (including a room named the Grenfell Room in memory of the victims) to between 15-17 homeless people who have signed up with the program, offering them a safe haven once a week.

“We need to support this initiative and encourage the mosque to keep it going in the hopes that others will follow in their footsteps.”