Overview:
The overnight warming station at the North Quabbin Recovery Center in Athol will open for the first time due to the expected drop in temperatures to single digits. The center can accommodate up to 20 people per night and will be staffed by volunteers. Donations of money, food, and supplies are welcome. The center is overseen by the North Quabbin Community Coalition and can be contacted at (978) 249-3703.
ATHOL — With temperatures expected to drop into the single digits, the overnight warming station at the North Quabbin Recovery Center will be opened for the first time on Thursday.
According to the National Weather Service, the temperature at 7 a.m. Friday morning will reach 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Selectboard Chair Rebecca Bialecki said “about 20 volunteers total” have come forward to help staff the center.
“Right now, we’re staffed through this coming Monday,” she said. “Then we’ll see what the weather is for the rest of the week.”
Two people will staff the center from 10 p.m. through 2 a.m., with another pair coming in to help out between 2 and 6 a.m. The recovery center, located at 416 Main St., can accommodate a maximum of 20 people per night.
Bialecki said anyone who doesn’t have time to volunteer is welcome to contribute money or food items to the center.
“We’ve had some nice donations already,” she said. “Dunkin right now is supplying all of our coffee and creamers and that sort of thing.”
Any kind of cash donations, she explained, can go to the North Quabbin Community Coalition, which oversees the recovery center.
“People writing a check can just write in the memo line that their donation is to go to the warming center,” she said.
NQCC Executive Director Heather Bialecki-Canning said anyone who would like to contribute cookies, pastries, coffee or other items for the warming center should call the coalition at (978) 249-3703. The coalition headquarters is located at 251 Exchange St.
To prevent cold-related illnesses and injuries, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) recommends that people reduce their time outside, dress in several layers and wear scarves to protect their lungs.
In the event that pipes freeze, the MEMA recommends that residents open all faucets all the way, remove insulation and heat the frozen pipes with with a hair dryer or wrap towels soaked in hot water on the pipes.
Those in Greenfield who need to escape frigid temperatures can warm up at the Greenfield Public Library from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Greenfield Housing Authority Community Room, located at 1 Elm Terrace, will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, while Oak Courts Common Room on Elm Street will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. and the John Zon Community Center at 35 Pleasant St. will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Overnight warming, Mayor Ginny Desorgher announced in a written statement, will be activated “as-needed,” with notice posted on the city’s website and social media. Individuals in Greenfield and other communities can find warming centers and other resources by calling 211.
The city announced in a Facebook post published Thursday that the city’s overnight shelter, located at the Salvation Army center at 72 Chapman St., will be open from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, and Friday, Dec. 5, for those who “do not have other options for getting out of the cold.”
The city’s overnight warming shelter is offered through a joint effort between Desorgher’s office, volunteers, and police and fire personnel. It opens when temperatures drop below 15 degrees Fahrenheit or during instances in which wind chills necessitate opening.
“If a wind chill advisory comes into effect … for at least three hours, [the center will open],” Fire Chief Robert Strahan said in an interview last week. “We’re there for just the overall operations of the shelter, making sure that needs are being accommodated and to generally man the shelter for any needs that may arise.”
The Healey-Driscoll administration announced last week that the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities will provide $12.1 million in supplemental grant funding to expand shelter and warming center capacity across Massachusetts this winter. Desorgher mentioned that both Greenfield and Athol received grant funding from this round of state allocations.
Desorgher, who volunteered at the Overnight Warming Center on numerous nights last year, explained that once it’s declared that the center will be open, organizers “drop whatever they’re doing” to ensure there is a substantial volunteer force to operate it.
“We’ve already had a pre-meeting with volunteers, so we have a list of volunteers,” Desorgher said while the city prepared to open the shelter. “[There were] 15 people who came to the meeting, and we certainly have a lot more volunteers that lined up. … We welcome more volunteers.”
Anthony Cammalleri of the Greenfield Recorder contributed to this report.