Warming the cockles and every other part of a human
A story that may warm the cockles of your heart.
First, 30 years as a journalist has never provided opportunity for referencing cockle temperatures.
The saying means to warm and gratify one’s deepest feelings. In Trenton, the heart enjoys a new Initiative that hopes to warm hands, feet and other body parts.
A new Warming Center will help keep up to 60 homeless individuals safe during COVID-19 challenges and cold winter temperatures.
Just in time, too, as weather forecasters predict a nor’easter will drop sleet, snow and freezing rain on the Greater Trenton area this week.
The Warming Center will be housed at The Mission located at 100 Carroll St. The center will be open 24 hours-a-day, seven days-aweek until April 2021.
Yesterday, as a cold rain dampened spirits, the Warming Center offered refuge to about 20 guests. As one would expect, the large room offered heat and comfort. Some people rested while others engaged in conversation; others read books or newspapers.
“We knew we had to do something different this year,” said Mary Gay Abbott-Young, chief executive officer of the Rescue Mission of Trenton.
“Traditionally, to keep warm, those who are experiencing homelessness would come to The Mission and stay in our Center for a meal, spend the day and/or night, and possibly receive counseling; or they would go to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, where they could eat, then linger and have staff and volunteers provide services.”
The Center will be staffed with two shelter associates for each eight-hour shift, three shifts a day, and a part-time meal assistant. The Center will also require the addition of two single regular bathrooms and one handicapped bathroom. All accommodations will adhere to social distancing initiatives.
COVID-19 has altered operations for most outreach initiatives throughout Mercer County.
Abbott-Young said “neither The Mission nor the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen will be able to safely accommodate the number of individuals from previous winters because of the need for social distancing in response to this pandemic. Still, we know that there will be at least as many individuals experiencing homelessness this year as last. Probably more.”
According to the Point-In-Time Count of the Homeless, which was done on January 28, 2020, Mercer
County had 556 homeless individuals, with 105 of them being unsheltered. “
“Behind each of those numbers is a personal story,” Abbott-Young added. “And that, of course, was before the onslaught of the pandemic and our current economic crisis.”
Meanwhile, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), while now preparing twice as many emergency meals as before the pandemic, has switched from sit-down dining to serving meals to-go from their front doors.
“Since we have always been such strong collaborators,” Joyce Campbell, executive director of TASK, said. “The Mission’s executive team and ours began discussions in earnest this summer in preparation for what we knew was inevitably around the corner. Together, we gained strength. And created possibilities. Fortunately, The Mission has the space, and we have the food. We knew the need. We just had to start planning. And hope to find the funding.”
A large portion of that funding came from the Princeton Area Community Foundation COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund. Further funding has come from individual donations, with the remainder promised through partnerships with the County.
“This project started with recognizing the essential need. Then, by collaborating, we were able to create a solution. Still, of course, it is only occurring because of the compassion and generosity of our community,” added Abbott-Young.
“Because of that compassion and generosity, individuals who request entry to the Warming Center will be greeted to a warm, safe haven, where they will receive a meal, companionship, and referral services, possibly leading to permanent supportive housing.”
Campbell added, “We view this Warming Center as a place that affirms our unwavering belief in the dignity of everyone we serve, and our belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.”
Marygrace Billek, Director of the Department of Human Services for the County of Mercer said, “The Mission and TASK each bring something special to our community. And when they come together, it becomes even more powerful. The way they have risen to the challenges presented by this pandemic is truly inspiring. Those challenges are our community’s challenges. And our community is responding with what is needed – which is a collective solution.”