As ice and freezing temperatures began creeping into town on Jan. 13, a handful of local nonprofits, in conjunction with the City of Corvallis kicked into high gear as they facilitated emergency shelter for community members needing a warm place to stay.
Whenever the county announces a weather emergency, Faith, Hope and Charity Inc., a Christian nonprofit organization located at 460 SW Madison Ave., springs into action, deterred by neither snow nor heat to provide overnight shelter to those needing to escape the elements.
In partnership with local hotels, vulnerable members of the community are given a warm room to stay in after an evening meal is served at the First Christian Church 602 SW Madison Ave., where cots are also available during times of high demand, such as the recent storm.
“Saving lives, that’s the most important thing,” said Sheila Thompson, coordinator at FHC, about her experience serving folks in need during the recent “ice-pocalypse.”
According to Thompson, patrons were relieved to have the shelter services made available.
With nighttime temperatures dipping as low as 16 degrees Fahrenheit, people traveled from across the county to access the essential services provided by FHC. Thompson, along with Frederick J. Edwards, executive director at FHC, reflected on the stories they heard from patrons who walked several hours and drove from distant rural towns to receive shelter services.
While FHC provided essential overnight protection, they were far from the only people working to ensure that everyone had a place to warm up during the day. Both the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library and the Corvallis Community Center opened their doors amidst the ice and cold.
After detailing the role of the city in preparing these community spaces as warming centers, Patrick Rollens, public information officer for the City of Corvallis, said, “The folks who staff the library and the community center … are not necessarily social workers … they are just librarians and community center, recreation coordinators, so we’re very proud of them when they have the opportunity to set aside their regular job responsibilities and step up”.
Despite the treacherous conditions, the people of Corvallis continued to show up. Among them was the Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center at 530 SW Fourth St., who sunk their boots into the ground – or in this case ice – to get done whatever was needed.
“The Drop-In Center has a long history through COVID-19 of never shutting its doors,” said Allison Hobgood, CDDC executive director. “We really try to be nimble and responsive because we feel like the people need to be supported.”
Determined to never close their doors while still responding to the needs of the community, the organization shifted its response to the centralized haven in the storm: the First Christian Church. Individuals who had spent the night at the church were sheltered at the CDDC and other local organizations during the day to avoid having to pack up and face the cold every morning.
According to Hobgood, volunteers and employees alike banded together, navigating carefully around town to pick up needed prescriptions for patrons as well as food and shelter supplies.
Hobgood emphasized that across the board those looking to get out of their homes and support vulnerable community members ran into one specific hiccup: getting there. With relentless precipitation, ice on roads and sidewalks proved a worthy opponent.
Rollens commended the dedication of the Public Works Department and clarified some of the barriers faced while trying to keep the roads clear. “Starting the Friday before the ice storm, we implemented 12-hour shifts, 24 hours a day,” Rollens said.
According to Rollens, attempts by the city to use de-icer to melt the ice, which can only be used on dry ground, failed due to the precipitation. After failing to apply de-icer, street cleanup crews found it challenging to remove the ice, and had to suspend efforts.
“It was a real challenge to stay on top of that because we would lay down some sand, another tenth of an inch of precipitation would fall and freeze all that in place,” Rollens said.
Moreover, emergency responders were available to give rides to volunteers when possible and local nonprofits hope to work with the city to find safe solutions for future storms, according to Hobgood.
“There are some really amazing humans in the world who stepped the heck up and were like, ‘What do we need to do? Tell us where we need to be,’” Hobgood said. “Our guests helped each other and they helped us”.
Edwards encouraged Oregon State University students to work with FHC in helping the community going forward. “See what little bit (people) can do to pitch in … if we could get more of that, oh man, we would be flying!” Edwards said.
Faith, Hope and Charity Inc. and the Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center are accepting donations of winter supplies and monetary aid in addition to volunteers.