By-Line: Julie Murphy, Flagler County Government
The Sheltering Tree is gearing up for a stretch of cold overnight temperatures hovering around the mid-30s early into next week (January 19 through January 21). The shelter operated at the Rock Transformation Center (formerly Church on the Rock) is not only for those experiencing homelessness but for anyone who is without heat.
“We are grateful for our many teams of volunteers,” said Sue Bickings, chairperson of the Sheltering Tree. “It’s a commitment and we’ve already been open 16 nights this season.”
The cold winter weather is lingering, and the National Weather Service is once again predicting temperatures to fall below 40 degrees during the overnight hours on January 19, 20, and 21 – the criteria for opening the cold-weather shelter.
The county will provide bus transportation along two routes, following the schedules below:
East side of the county
- Dollar General at Publix Town Center on Market Avenue (leads to Dollar General), 3:30 p.m.
- McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100 at the dirt road on the east side, 4 p.m.
- Dollar Tree behind Carrabba’s in the Dollar Tree Parking lot, 4:30 p.m.
- Palm Coast Main Branch Library, northwest corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway, 4:45 p.m.
West side of the county
- Dollar General at County Road 305 and Canal Avenue in Daytona North, 4 p.m.
- Bunnell Free Clinic, 703 Moody Boulevard, 4:30 p.m.
- Bridges United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 205 N. Pine Street, 4:30 p.m. (listed as the same pick-up time because of the proximity)
The Rock Transformation Center is located at 2200 N. State Street. The cold-weather shelter will open at 5 p.m. and will close at 8 a.m. the following day.
The Sheltering Tree, 386-437-3258, is under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center and is a non-denominational civic organization that was created to provide cold-weather sheltering during cold nights in Flagler County.
Weather and heat safety preparedness tips from Flagler County Fire Rescue include:
- Never use the oven to heat the home
- All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning
- Screen fireplaces to contain sparks
- Portable space heaters should be kept 3-feet away from anything that can burn
- Turn off portable heaters when leaving the room or going to bed
