SNOHOMISH — A new cold-weather shelter is up and running here. But it needs more volunteers to make it through the winter.
The shelter opened Tuesday night at the Snohomish Evangelical Free Church, housing two women and a child. It is to operate through February on nights when the temperature drops to 32 degrees or below.
“It was scary at first just because of the uncertainty, but it’s going really, really well,” said Snohomish Community Food Bank Director Elizabeth Grant, who is helping organize the shelter.
The number of people seeking a warm place to stay increased during the shelter’s first week of operation. On Wednesday night, it housed four people and a dog. Five people stayed Thursday.
The shelter has separate sleeping areas for about 20 people. One is designated for men and another for women and children. Pets are welcome but must sleep next to their owner in a crate.
Grant said at least 50 people completed volunteer training to work at the shelter, but only about a dozen have signed up for shifts. At least two volunteers are needed to cover each of the three nightly shifts.
“It’s a great job for people who are retired or unemployed and don’t mind staying up late or getting up early,” she said.
One crew is scheduled from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. to check people in, feed them dinner and get them settled. People can check in from 8 to 9:30 p.m. They must be escorted into the shelter by police after the lights are out at 10 p.m.
Another pair of volunteers works from midnight to 5 a.m. to ensure the guests are safe. A third shift works from 4:30 to 9:30 a.m., making breakfast and getting the laundry ready for pickup.
Volunteers need to complete Medical Reserve Corps training, which includes CPR and first aid, before they start work at the shelter. Insurance is provided.
Snohomish received guidance on volunteer training, policies and procedures from the Monroe Cold Weather Shelter, which found a permanent home last year on Main Street. It opens for the season Saturday.
Also set to open Saturday is the South Snohomish County Emergency Shelter. People can meet at City Hall in Lynnwood by 7 p.m. to be taken to an overnight shelter. They also can go to the Trader Joe’s at Highway 99 and 196th Street SW to be picked up before 7:05 p.m.
Arlington’s cold-weather shelter opens at 8 p.m. on nights when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. It is downtown at the Arlington United Church.
Marysville’s cold weather shelter is at the Damascus Road Church. It opens at 8 p.m. on freezing nights.
Grant said the Snohomish shelter is staffed through Sunday. More volunteers are needed for Monday and beyond.
People who are interested in volunteering can call 425-220-2217 between 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The next two-hour training session is scheduled for 6 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Snohomish Evangelical Free Church, 210 Ave. B.
Also needed are supplies for the shelter, such as mats, blankets, cleaning supplies, snacks, pet crates and toiletries. Those items can be donated at the Snohomish Community Food Bank at 1330 Ferguson Park Road.
Grant said she noticed that the city needed a warm place for people to sleep last year when the demand for self-heating meals increased at the food bank. Many of the people who go there do not have access to a stove or microwave, she said. People can come to the food bank from 3 to 6:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on Fridays to pick up self-heating meals.
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports
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