Martinsville Henry County Warming Center seeks volunteers ahead of opening

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - The Martinsville-Henry County Warming Center is opening its doors for the first time this fall.

The Warming Center recently moved into the Salvation Army after outgrowing the previous location. It served around 100 people last year and is expecting to serve more this year.

“I have seen an increase in those experiencing homelessness in our community,” said Ariel Johnson, director of Martinsville-Henry County Warming Center. “So, I hope that we don’t exceed capacity this year, because at the end of the day, there’s no other shelters in this community. It’s either this or on the street.”

The Warming Center opens on nights when temperatures drop below 40 degrees. It’s opening the doors for the first time this season Tuesday night.

The greatest need right now is volunteers to help keep the Warming Center open.

“We have like 2,000 followers on our Facebook page. If each individual that followed our Facebook page volunteered one night, our need for the entire season would be met,” added Johnson.

One resident took action to help raise money for the Warming Center by organizing a raffle event. Warm for the Winter will take place November 17 at the Elks Lodge. The event has already raised around $2,500 for the Warming Center.

“Homelessness is a problem everywhere, whether it’s here or whether it be bigger cities,” said Christopher Lawless, Owner of Lawless Welding. “So, it would be much nicer to go ahead and get a handle on things in house try to help out with what we can, and give a helping hand because sometimes that’s what we need.”

The signup link to volunteer can be found here.

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