By Kiera Morgan

During public comment at the Monday night Lincoln City city council meeting Jerry Roelof with the congregational church spoke to the council about the increased need of volunteers for the warming shelter. The church is a hosting sites for the warming shelter. He reported that in 2015 they were open about 4 nights when the temperatures dropped down to 29-31 degrees. In December 2016 they were open for 15 nights. In that year they shelter 267 adults. He said this winter has proven to be very cold. “So far this year in January we have been open for 14 nights and expect to be open even more as the winter cold temperatures continue. We have been averaging about 20 people per night.”

He said it is for this reason that they really need volunteers right now, especially overnight. He added that they are able to provide a dinner the night of and they need more donations for breakfast. They offer a continental breakfast the next morning and make a paper sack lunch for the clients to take with them. He said the overnight shift is more supervising, making sure there are no problems that arise and make sure everyone follows the rules. He said they are open for people to come in from 6pm-10pm and they close the doors at 10 and the clients are allowed to stay until 7am the next morning. For more information about volunteering or if you would like to make a donation go online to http://lincolncitywarmingshelter.com/