With below-freezing temperatures expected on Saturday, local warming shelters are opening to try to keep unsheltered folks warm.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- With below-freezing nighttime temperatures arriving Saturday, heating centers will be available throughout Springfield and Eugene to help those without shelter stay warm.
St. Vincent de Paul has four Egan Warming Centers in Eugene and one in Springfield. The centers offer beds, dry clothing and heating to those in need for the night.
Tim Black, the emergency supervisor for the sites, says they have to always watch out for dangerously cold temperatures.
"We watch the weather, and just based on the forecasted low temperatures we spring into action when it's supposed to be below 30 degrees,” Black said. “We announced yesterday that we would be open tomorrow night, Saturday, and we are on standby for a few nights, and that basically means we're already trying to fill our volunteer schedules.”
Announcements for when the warming centers will be open for Saturday, January 28, will be posted at 5 p.m. online or by text. The Egan Warming Centers are expected to open Saturday night, and stay open until the freezing nighttime temperatures warm up.
Volunteers are always needed to help out when the shelters open. David Strahan has worked for 10 years as a volunteer and says there is nothing he loves doing more than helping others.
“The gratitude that I get, that I see in the guests for giving them that night of shelter is awesome, it's almost addicting,” Strahan said. “To feel that in the morning when they're thanking you when they're getting up and you give them a pair of socks, you give them a bus pass, you give them a sack lunch to go, knowing that you gave them a place that is safe for the night out of the weather. Their belongings are safe and secure -- it's a good feeling.”
Strahan also said there is always room for more people who want to give their time and their hearts.
“There's volunteer positions for anybody of any ability,” Strahan said. “We have off-site volunteer positions, we have shoppers, we have schedulers who never even have contact with the guests if you’re afraid of being with a guest or afraid you might catch a catch a bug or afraid that it’s going to open your heart... so volunteer once... just volunteer once.”
