Last week, the City of Lawrence announced it might have to close the City run emergency winter shelter because there were not enough volunteers to staff the facility. Since putting out the plea for more help, the City received nearly 100 responses from citizens willing to volunteer at the shelter. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that, at least for now, the City will be able to continue opening the shelter on nights when the temperature is forecast to fall below 35 degrees, which could literally be a life saver this weekend. Volunteer coordinators for the shelter say it’s difficult to know if there will be enough volunteer help to keep the shelter open on all the nights it’s needed throughout the Winter. The number of volunteers needed depends on how many people show up to seek shelter and, that depends on the severity of the weather.
They received inquiries from 96 people interested in volunteering and told the Journal-World that the City is deeply grateful to everyone who has already responded to the call.
