Recently, the City of Sacramento changed the city’s criteria for opening a warming center, causing the center to remain open starting on Christmas and stretching through the end of February. Suddenly, Emergency Services was in desperate need of volunteers and resources to stock the warming center and make sure it was available for anyone who needed its services.
The Emergency Services department took to Nextdoor, posting a request for volunteers for the 6:00 p.m. to midnight shift and midnight to 6:00 a.m. shift, as well as a request for donations of new blankets. They targeted the post to the community closest to the warming center, hoping that neighbors nearby might be willing to help.
The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services’ post requesting volunteers or donations.
Within days, over 56 volunteers from the community registered for shifts and over 40 new blankets were donated. Now, the volunteer registration is over 80 participants.
The buzz on Nextdoor caught the attention of the local press, as well, who did a story on volunteerism and donations for the warming center during the holiday season. That attention brought in an additional 25+ registrants, ensuring that the warming center will be fully stocked and operational for months to come.
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