Faith Works 1-30-2026
Jeff Gill
Community warmth in a frigid landscape
___
It's worth a little review of how we got an Emergency Warming Center in Licking County.
This is the eighth winter season volunteers have put these together. That first winter, in January of 2019, it was a community response to a predicted -10 degree pair of nights in a "polar vortex" which actually reached an air temperature of -13. By March, six nights were operated between two churches, and we had at least 35 guests overnight between the locations when both were open.
Quickly, the churches & groups & programs involved worked to organize what had been an ad hoc effort. The first couple of winters the threshold for opening up was 0; the task force that organized the work as we shifted locations & tried to improve our coordination moved the threshold to an overnight low of 15, which only lasted two winters as that increased the number of nights we activated to just beyond our ability to staff the overnights. Since 2022 we've set our threshold at an anticipated 10 degree overnight low; the task force gives itself latitude for special circumstances, like extreme wind warnings on nights still above 10 degrees, or a series of nights where a night or two is below 10, one night bumps above, then back to subzero.
We have had four church locations host our program; Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on W. Main got involved early and has been the only location the last five winters. Changes in insurance carriers, denominational affiliation, and in one case closure, have all had an impact on where sites have been located.
This past week over 50 people sought refuge with this community effort (and a number of pets; pets have been welcome since the beginning of the warming centers here). A variety of circumstances bring unsheltered people to the Emergency Warming Center: a surprising number of guests are people who until recently had housing, have a plan for housing relatively soon, but are caught in between and are sleeping in vehicles until a new lease or arrangement is ready. A regular percentage of those the last few years have been senior citizens. A hotel for a few weeks is beyond the budget of many who are caught in the housing crunch.
This past week has been the longest period of continuous operation done by this effort, likely ten nights in a row all below 10 degrees. And there are likely to be more nights later this winter at that degree of cold.
Again & again, people ask me, what does the warming center effort need? And yes, there are practical issues we deal with, and some materials we have to go get, but the core need is for volunteers. Without at least some 26 people confirmed each night to assist, the center can't announce they're open.
The United Way of Licking County (UWLC) provides volunteer coordination for the Emergency Warming Center effort; if you go to their webpage, scroll to the EWC section (or you can volunteer for the daytime Drop-In Center, held in the same building, with a link on the same page) and sign up. You will get the volunteer emails, and can respond as you are able; signing up here does not automatically obligate you, it simply puts you in a place to know when & where you're needed. The last step is up to you.
Many thanks to the UWLC team, the meal support from Licking Memorial Hospital, and Licking County Transit's help, and the faith community at Holy Trinity along with many churches' volunteers. Training is mostly on-the-job; no one serves alone. And for the most part, you are needed to smile, stay present, and often say "I don't know, let's find out what the answer to that is." Someone on your shift has done this before.
Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and preacher in central Ohio; he appreciates the many people who come together each winter to make this all happen. Tell him about your volunteer experiences at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack on X.
Link I mentioned:
https://www.unitedwaylc.org/get-involved/
Jeff Gill
Community warmth in a frigid landscape
___
It's worth a little review of how we got an Emergency Warming Center in Licking County.
This is the eighth winter season volunteers have put these together. That first winter, in January of 2019, it was a community response to a predicted -10 degree pair of nights in a "polar vortex" which actually reached an air temperature of -13. By March, six nights were operated between two churches, and we had at least 35 guests overnight between the locations when both were open.
Quickly, the churches & groups & programs involved worked to organize what had been an ad hoc effort. The first couple of winters the threshold for opening up was 0; the task force that organized the work as we shifted locations & tried to improve our coordination moved the threshold to an overnight low of 15, which only lasted two winters as that increased the number of nights we activated to just beyond our ability to staff the overnights. Since 2022 we've set our threshold at an anticipated 10 degree overnight low; the task force gives itself latitude for special circumstances, like extreme wind warnings on nights still above 10 degrees, or a series of nights where a night or two is below 10, one night bumps above, then back to subzero.
We have had four church locations host our program; Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on W. Main got involved early and has been the only location the last five winters. Changes in insurance carriers, denominational affiliation, and in one case closure, have all had an impact on where sites have been located.
This past week over 50 people sought refuge with this community effort (and a number of pets; pets have been welcome since the beginning of the warming centers here). A variety of circumstances bring unsheltered people to the Emergency Warming Center: a surprising number of guests are people who until recently had housing, have a plan for housing relatively soon, but are caught in between and are sleeping in vehicles until a new lease or arrangement is ready. A regular percentage of those the last few years have been senior citizens. A hotel for a few weeks is beyond the budget of many who are caught in the housing crunch.
This past week has been the longest period of continuous operation done by this effort, likely ten nights in a row all below 10 degrees. And there are likely to be more nights later this winter at that degree of cold.
Again & again, people ask me, what does the warming center effort need? And yes, there are practical issues we deal with, and some materials we have to go get, but the core need is for volunteers. Without at least some 26 people confirmed each night to assist, the center can't announce they're open.
The United Way of Licking County (UWLC) provides volunteer coordination for the Emergency Warming Center effort; if you go to their webpage, scroll to the EWC section (or you can volunteer for the daytime Drop-In Center, held in the same building, with a link on the same page) and sign up. You will get the volunteer emails, and can respond as you are able; signing up here does not automatically obligate you, it simply puts you in a place to know when & where you're needed. The last step is up to you.
Many thanks to the UWLC team, the meal support from Licking Memorial Hospital, and Licking County Transit's help, and the faith community at Holy Trinity along with many churches' volunteers. Training is mostly on-the-job; no one serves alone. And for the most part, you are needed to smile, stay present, and often say "I don't know, let's find out what the answer to that is." Someone on your shift has done this before.
Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and preacher in central Ohio; he appreciates the many people who come together each winter to make this all happen. Tell him about your volunteer experiences at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack on X.
Link I mentioned:
https://www.unitedwaylc.org/get-involved/
