As the holidays come to a close, the Atascadero Warming Center is reminding community members to still come out and volunteer their time or donate food and money.
The center, located at 4500 El Camino Real, opens at 7:00 p.m. and closes its door for the night at 9:00 p.m.
The facility is open when the temperature is expected to be less than 41 degrees and/or there is a 50% chance of rain.
“So far we’ve had below 40 degrees like for two solid weeks. Before that, we were maybe open four days out of the week,” said Susan Macari, the center's operations manager.
Macari also said there has been an increase in senior citizens and younger people coming in seeking shelter during the holiday season. They typically expect around 14 people, but have seen an average of seven or eight more this past month.
According to Macari, donating bus passes is one big way people can help the influx of people. t
"Some have physical issues and to get out of here to walk. There’s a couple that we know don’t come for sure because they don’t have a way to get out here,” added Macari.
Those who stay over night are giving a dinner meal as well as breakfast the following morning.
To learn more about how to volunteer or donate, click here.
