With freezing temperatures and high winds combining for dangerously cold wind-chill effects in central Ohio, the Licking County Warming Center Task Force put out an urgent plea for volunteers to help it open a shelter tonight.
With enough volunteers, the group can activate its emergency warming center tonight, Dec. 4, and Thursday.
With a forecast of a wind chill dipping toward zero, the task is concerned about the safety of unhoused and unsheltered people who could be in danger if they stay out in the cold. There is no other low-barrier shelter in Licking County that will take in people without restrictions regarding substance use or pets.
“We usually don’t open because of wind chill, but it’s going to bounce between 5 and -5 (degrees),” Nancy Welu, a member of the Task Force executive board, told The Reporting Project.
Volunteers need no special training or experience. They are needed to help staff the center at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at 592 W. Main Street – just west of the Rt. 79 overpass.
It’s important to open, Welu said. “We don’t want people dying on the streets.”
The Task Force seeks at least two volunteers per shift at a minimum. More would be helpful. The overnight shifts are the hardest to fill, Welu said.
If you’re a night owl, she said, please reach out as soon as possible.
Those willing to help should call Luellen Deeds at 740-345-6685 or email ldeeds@unitedwaylc.org to volunteer for one or more of the following shifts:
4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. – Intake
4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. – Food/Meal Prep
8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. – Intake
12:30 a.m. – 5:30 a.m. – Overnight
5:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. – Closing/Clean up