La Pine Warming Center offers shelter from the cold

With the cold weather now setting in, warming shelters are opening up to help those in need.

The La Pine Warming Center has been in operation for three years at the Calvary Chapel, and opened last Thursday for the first time this year.

One couple, Jay Jackson and Sherry Morton, lost all of their possessions in a a recent motor home fire we told you about on NewsChannel 21.

They said Monday evening they’re so happy about the support they’ve received from the community.

“The community of La Pine, it’s so different being here, if we were somewhere else, we probably wouldn’t get the support that we have received so far,” Morton said. “It’s just a tight-knit community, they just all come together, you know, and we are really grateful for that.”

Another woman, Colleen Granger, was volunteering at the center Monday night because three years ago, she was homeless and found help at the La Pine Warming Center.

She said she wouldn’t be where she is today without the warming shelter.

“In the wintertime, when it’s cold, people need a place to go,” Granger said. “And unfortunately, in our community, we have lots and lots of people that are without, and because of different reasons, one being not enough proper places for people to live that they can afford.”

Lori Henry, the shelter’s volunteer coordinator, said its whole mission is to provide dignity and care for all who come through the door.

Henry added that she hopes that this place can provide people a leg up to get them back onto their feet.

“Pretty much all of America is one paycheck away from homelessness,” Henry said. “The stories that I have listened to, the stories that I’ve heard, that’s what I hear over and over again. If for some reason someone in the family lost a job, they’d lose everything.”

The warming shelter also allows for pets to come in with their owners to warm up as well.

The La Pine Warming Center is open on days when the weather falls below 10 degrees from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

They provide a warm dinner and a warm breakfast, as well as a sack lunch, which is all prepared by volunteers from donations.

They also provide sleeping bags, coats, socks and gloves, and are always looking for donations.

For more information on the La Pine Warming Center, click here.

And for a full list of warming centers in Deschutes County, click here.