NATCHEZ — Thirty-five strangers, young and old, students and retirees, banded together Saturday morning to train to help Hurricane Gustav evacuees.

The Adams County Chapter of the Red Cross gave a shelter training class because volunteers will be needed when shelters start opening soon.

However, Chapter Manager Angie Brown didn’t expect such a large turnout.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “I think this is one of the largest classes I’ve ever taught.”

Brown began with the basics.

“The purpose of the shelter is to provide a safe place for people,” she said. “Our first and foremost commitment to our clients is that they’re safe.”

Brown gave a lesson in compassion.

When shelter seekers come to a shelter, they must first fill out a lot of paperwork.

“These folks, when they come in, it’s very possible they might have been on the road,” Brown said. “If you were in their shoes, how would you feel? They’re coming looking for shelter, food, comfort and the first thing they’re hit with is all this paperwork.”

She warned not to be too compassionate, however. For instance, she said not to offer one client something that everyone will want, if the volunteer cannot provide it to everyone.

“If you cannot provide it for everyone of your clients, if you can’t do it for the whole population, then you can’t do it at all,” Brown said.

This is one of the values of Red Cross volunteers — to treat each client equally, she said.

She gave a rundown on each stage of opening, operating and closing a shelter.

Volunteers are going to be working an overload at first, she said.

“We have to be able to staff our shelters for a minimum of 72 hours,” she said, because that’s how long it will take before any outside assistance will come.

And help will not just be provided for evacuees. Possible dangers that might occur in Adams County, like tornados, fires and flooding, might displace locals, too.

But everyone there was ready, willing and able to serve in whatever capacity possible.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” volunteer Lynne Manoley said.

She said work has always kept her from having the time to volunteer, but now she’s unemployed and jumped at the chance to help.

“It’s just doing what I can,” she said.

Terry Wagoner wanted to be prepared because he’ll have to jump into action very soon.

Wagoner is a member of Parkway Baptist Church, which is the first shelter that will open.

He’s no novice to volunteering, though.

“I’ve been volunteering ever since Katrina,” Wagoner said. “I feel like it’s our responsibility to help people in need.”

Barbara Lomasney and her husband, Mike, had a more universal reason for coming.

“I’m here to pay it forward because we were victims of Katrina,” she said.