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Volunteer at the Severe Weather Shelter in Downtown Bellingham!
In response to our community’s homelessness crisis and the coming winter season, the Whatcom Volunteer Center is recruiting volunteers for Bellingham’s Severe Weather Shelter. Volunteers will have a chance to help keep unhoused neighbors safe and warm during dangerously cold weather.
The temporary shelter will open when overnight temperatures are forecasted to fall to 32 degrees in Bellingham. The shelter will be available to open, dependent on weather, from late November through March 2025. Notification of the Severe Weather Shelter activation will be given 48 hours or more in advance.
Volunteers will be helping people in need by serving hot meals, distributing bedding and supplies, and helping to keep the shelter space organized and welcoming. Volunteers will also support periodic trash pickup in the area surrounding the facility.
Volunteer Requirements: Volunteers must be over 18 and have access to reliable transportation, including during severe weather events. Additionally, volunteers will be asked to complete a background check with Whatcom Volunteer Center.
Genevieve Quigley
The Volunteer Center of Whatcom County
genevieve_quigley@oppco.org
*The Severe Weather Shelter is operated by the Whatcom Health and Community Services Department. The Whatcom Volunteer Center (a division of Opportunity Council) provides volunteer management, recruitment and support services in partnership with the County.
