Cold-Weather Shelter for Homeless and Others Open Feb. 22-24

The Sheltering Tree will open the Flagler County cold-weather shelter Sunday through Tuesday night, Feb. 22-24, as a cold brings nighttime temperatures below 40.

The shelter will open at its usual location at the Rock Transformation Center, previously known as Church on the Rock, 2200 N State St, Bunnell, at 5:30 p.m. It will close the following day at 8 a.m. Guests, who may be homeless or who may simply need a heated place, as some homes in the county lack heat, will receive a hot dinner and a hot breakfast, free of charge. (See: “The New Face of Homelessness: Flagler County Shelter Sees Occupancy Double Amid Affordability Crisis.”)

The shelter is run entirely by a corps of Sheltering Tree volunteers, who operate in teams culled from area churches. Each night bring together a series of teams, each assigned a task–setting-up the shelter, cooking the evening and morning meals, providing overnight supervision, running the laundry, and so on.

Overnight supervision is provided, as is transportation, if needed. Though the shelter is hosted by Church on the Rock, the shelter operation itself is non-denominational, and open to people of all creeds, faiths or no faith. The Sheltering Tree is under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center, a non-profit established in 2011 to provide cold-weather sheltering during cold nights in Flagler County.

There are no permanent shelters for the homeless in the county.

Flagler County, Palm Coast and Bunnell jointly contribute up to $25,000 a year–or $1,000 per night–to defray the costs of the shelter, which include food, rent, and incidental supplies provided to those in need. The county also provides free transportation to those who need it.

The county will provide bus transportation along two routes, along this schedule:

• McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100 at the dirt road on the east side, 4 p.m.
• Circle K at Kingswood and Old Kings Road, 4:40 p.m.
• Dollar Tree behind Carrabba’s in the Dollar Tree Parking lot, 4:50 p.m.
• Palm Coast Main Branch Library, northwest corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway, 4:55 p.m.
• Bunnell Free Clinic, 703 Moody Boulevard, 5 p.m.
• Bridges United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 205 N. Pine Street, 5 p.m. (listed as the same pick-up time because of the close proximity)

Call 386-437-3258, extension 105 for information about transportation to the shelter, or for information about the shelter itself. The Sheltering Tree is always looking for contributions and support, not just for its sheltering nights, but for its weekly Tuesday outreach from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bunnell’s Bridges United Methodist Fellowship (formerly First United Methodist Church) at 205 North Pine Street. Essentials are provided to those in need, including tents, bikes, hygiene supplies and clothes.  Make monetary donations here. See the list of needs here.