Volunteers Needed for Local Warming Center

Colder temperatures are just around the corner, and with them comes the opening of Paducah’s Warming Center at the Community Kitchen. Two volunteer training sessions are planned for those who are willing to volunteer this year. 

Sessions will be held Monday, November 6, and Monday, November 13, at 6 pm at the Community Kitchen, located at 1237 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The Warming Center offers an overnight relief station when temperatures fall to 40 degrees or below. The Center is open from December 1 to March 31, for members of the community who are exposed to extreme weather elements, which can be life threatening.

Those who use the Warming Center are often staying under a bridge or in a tent, abandoned building, or vehicle. At the Warming Center, they are provided with a cot on which to sleep, clean linens, a hot meal, and access to laundry and shower facilities.

“At the Warming Center, we hope to not only provide visitors with a warm place to stay, but also show them God’s love,” says Holly Long, scheduling coordinator. “We hope to serve as a stepping-stone toward a possible path for a better living situation for them and their family.”

The Warming Center is staffed by volunteers, under the direction of Jim Trimble. Volunteers work in teams of two to cover shifts each night that the Center is open. They assist in welcoming guests, assigning bedding, and scheduling showers, among other tasks. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.

For more information on volunteer opportunities, contact Long at 270.217.9096 or e-mail her at hgklong@comcast.net. Donations can be made online at http://www.paducahcommunitykitchen.org/donate.php.