December 11, 20-25 3:30 a.m. 

The United Community Action Network is hosting winter warming center volunteer training sessions this month.

A UCAN release said the organization is recruiting volunteers to help out at the Roseburg Warming Center, a temporary shelter that will be located inside St. Joseph’s Catholic Church gymnasium on West Stanton Street. The shelter’s backup location will be at the Housing Authority of Douglas County’s James D. Myer Activity Center, just a few blocks away, also on West Stanton Street.

The shelter will only be open when the overnight low temperature is 30 degrees or colder, or when nighttime lows are 32 degrees or colder, with additional factors including fog, precipitation, wind, consecutive days or overall weather patterns.

Two 90-minute training sessions will be offered next week at UCAN’s main office at 251 Northeast Garden Valley Boulevard, Suite 205. Sessions will be held on Wednesday, December 17th at 5:30 p.m. and on Thursday, December 18th at 10:00 a.m. A third training session will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 29th.

Interested volunteers can email UCAN at: volunteer@ucancap.org

The warming center will also offer a warm meal to everyone staying overnight. Warming center doors will open for check-in at 5:30 p.m. on activation nights and close the next day at 8:00 a.m.

Last year, UCAN opened the Roseburg Warming Center for 18 nights in December, January, and February, when more than 100 people were served a hot meal and given a safe place to rest. The warming center provided 408 shelter bed nights last winter during extreme temperatures.

Those who are unable to volunteer but still want to contribute can make a donation to the warming center at: https://ucancap.networkforgood.com