Warming shelter at Salem First Presbyterian Church to open over the weekend
A warming shelter in downtown Salem will be opening Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with nighttime temperatures expected to reach just below freezing.
Salem First Presbyterian Church at 770 Chemeketa St. N.E. will be open to adults over age 18 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Jan. 17-19, according to the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency which coordinates warming shelters in the region.
Temperatures are expected to reach a low of 31 degrees Saturday night and Sunday night, and a low of 30 degrees Monday night, according to the National Weather Service. No rain is expected over the weekend as of Friday afternoon.
There’s room for around 95 people per night, said Sue Crothers, who organizes the church’s shelter.
“We’ll be ready for as many as come in the door,” she said.
People can bring their pets, who can either stay with the guest or in crates.
Saturday night, the church plans to serve a Tuscan-style soup with options of buttered bread or rice. They’ll also have instant noodle cups, oatmeal and snack bars, Crothers said.
There will also be coffee, hot chocolate and mochas that are “better than Starbucks,” Crothers said.
Guests with cars can park in the church lot in order to enter the warming shelter, Crothers said, but will be asked to leave when the shelter closes at 7 a.m.
Cherriots will be offering free rides to and from the warming shelter. No documentation is needed, riders just need to tell the driver where they’re heading.
Salem’s overnight warming shelters activate when temperatures reach below freezing. To learn more about how to volunteer, see the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency’s website.
The Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency will also be opening warming shelters in Dallas and Woodburn over the weekend. See their locations and their opening status here.
It’s the second time temperatures have prompted the warming shelter network to activate this winter. The ARCHES Day Center downtown last opened at the end of December.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Senior Reporter Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022, where she covers homelessness and housing. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
