RiverBender Blog: I Volunteered at the Overnight Warming Location
ALTON - With the cold snap and forecasted frigid temperatures in the next few days, the Overnight Warming Locations in Alton and Edwardsville are looking for more volunteers to help unhoused folks stay warm and safe overnight. But what does an evening at the OWL actually look like?
I’m now in my second year of volunteering at the Overnight Warming Location in Alton. This experience has been great for me, and I wanted to share a little more about it so you can know what the OWL does and how it helps people in the Riverbend region.
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There are two OWLs in our area, one at Deliverance Temple in Alton and the other at First Baptist Church in Edwardsville. These pop-up shelters open whenever the overnight temperatures are forecasted to drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Unhoused community members, folks who don’t have adequate heating, or just anyone who needs it can stay the night and keep warm.
A typical night at the OWL starts at 5 p.m., when the first guests arrive. This time coincides with when most daytime warming centers close. Unhoused folks have nowhere else to go when the temperatures drop, so the OWL provides a warm spot. Guests can enjoy a hot meal, typically provided by a local restaurant or volunteers.
From 5–11 p.m., guests play games, watch movies, read and chat. They can also take showers and do laundry, or visit the OWL’s “shop” to pick up supplies like coats, gloves, handwarmers, sleeping bags and tents. (These items are only available because of the donors who shop the OWL’s Amazon wishlist.) Supplies like good gloves and coats are lifesaving in the winter months.
At 11 p.m., guests are encouraged to head to bed, which is a cot with a blanket and pillow. In the morning, they receive breakfast and two bus tokens. In Alton, we welcome anywhere from 30–45 guests on any given night. That’s a lot of people who need a warm place to stay.
“Get inside. Get connected. Get well.” This is the OWL’s mission for its guests. The goal isn’t to “fix” anybody. We connect people with resources if they’re interested, but mostly, we just let people exist as they are. The most important thing is making sure that no one in our community freezes to death sleeping outside.
Volunteers are sorted into shifts; I’m there for the 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift. I spend my time talking with people and making sure everyone has what they need.
Am I sleepy the next morning? Sure, it’s a long night. But it’s important to me to make sure my neighbors have a warm place to stay on nights when the temperature is deadly.
It’s natural curiosity to wonder what the people at the OWL are like. And my answer is, they’re just people. Why are they experiencing homelessness? I don’t know, and it’s not my business. We just talk about nothing. I often bring a book, and someone always asks me what I’m reading. We trade book recommendations or play cards. It’s not hard to make friends. I always drive away from the OWL feeling a little more full.
We see portrayals of homelessness all the time that aren’t very nice. But the truth is, these are our neighbors. This is our community. Don’t we have it in us to be kinder than that? Especially during these cold months, when kindness can go a long way.
A lot of people support the OWL’s mission but wonder why we only open when it’s below 20 degrees. After all, anything under 32 degrees is considered freezing, and it’s already pretty cold.
For one, mortality rates skyrocket when the temperature dips below 20, so it’s a solid benchmark to go by. But anyone involved with the OWL will tell you that the sad truth is, we just need more volunteers. We’d all love to be open when it’s 32 degrees outside, but that’s a lot of nights out of the year. It’s hard to operate the OWL with our meager roster.
And that’s where you come in. Because maybe you’ve always been curious about the OWL, but you didn’t know how it worked. Or maybe this is the first time you’re hearing about it, and you think it sounds pretty cool.
Whatever the case may be, we’d love to have you as a volunteer or a donor. The OWL needs the community’s support to operate and help our neighbors get inside, get connected and get well. Maybe you could be a part of that mission.
As we start off 2025, it’s a great opportunity to learn more about volunteer opportunities in our area. RiverBender.com has compiled a list of local organizations and nonprofits that could use your help year-round. I hope you’ll join me in my 2025 resolution to do more for my community, whatever that looks like for you.
For more information about the Overnight Warming Locations, including how to help, visit the official Facebook page.
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