More than 500 Nativity scenes will be displayed this weekend at the Camarillo United Methodist Church as part of the 15th annual No Room at the Inn program.

The idea was born more than 17 years ago at a holiday party, said event co-chair Nora Howells.

Howells' husband had his collection of Nativity scenes on display and lamented that they couldn't be shared with more people.

"He thought it would be great to share them and raise money for the homeless," she said. "He even came up with the name as a way to show that even baby Jesus was homeless at his birth."

But in the following years, Howells' teaching job kept her too busy to plan the event, and then her husband fell ill with cancer. After he died, Howells and longtime friend Judy Crenshaw decided to start the program as a way to memorialize him.

"We wanted to carry out his dream and do something good in the process," Howells said.

In 14 years of the program, No Room at the Inn has raised more than $150,000 for local charities, Howells said.

"We don't have a fundraising goal. Our goal is to raise as much as we can get," she said. "We have a double goal really," she added. "In addition to raising money for the homeless, we also want to help bring the Christmas spirit back."

The event is heartwarming, said Connie Olson, one of the organizers who became involved after attending the event five years ago.

"It is a wonderful way to welcome in Christmas without any commercialization," she said. "And even though it's held in a church, there's no preaching behind it. It's very ecumenical."

In addition to the Nativities, the event will feature a children's corner, where kids can do arts and crafts and those younger than 10 can dress up in costumes and have photos taken, Olson said.

"The little kids look so cute dressed up in these costumes," she said, recalling the time a 2-year-old boy wanted to dress as baby Jesus but was too big too fit into the manger. "And the photos can be used to make original Christmas cards," she said.

Olson's husband, Jim, became inspired to start collecting Nativities after attending the event and has since amassed more than 100. His most recent addition is a Nativity scene made in Russia.

"He has one from every continent now, except Antarctica," Olson said.

Howells said the Nativities range in size from one that "could fit inside a robin's egg" to life-size.

This year's event will feature whimsical Nativity scenes, featuring mice, light bulbs and driftwood instead of the more traditional porcelain or crystal.

The event begins Friday evening with a gala and runs through Sunday.