There’s a severe shortage of volunteer workers for Springfield’s Crisis Cold Weather Shelters.
"Some of our community shelters are at risk of not being able to open if they do not get more volunteers," said Community Partnership of the Ozarks on its Facebook page.
Temperatures are expected to fall below freezing for the next several nights, and with COVID-19 a concern, especially as the omicron variant causes cases to surge, there are more shelter sites in operation to allow for social distancing.
Volunteers work overnight from around 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. They are always paired with another volunteer so each can sleep for part of the night.
According to the Community Partnership of the Ozarks, which oversees the shelters, Crisis Cold Weather Shelters have been open 29 nights since the start of the season on November 1 and have provided shelter to an average of 120 men, women and pets per night.
To find out how to become a volunteer, call (417) 888-2020 or click here.