Temperatures hit freezing in all 50 states Tuesday and warming centers have opened in Bloomfield and Middletown as colder weather rolls into the state.
Middletown
The Church of the Holy Trinity at 381 Main Street opened Nov. 16 to provide hot beverages, snacks and "a temporary respite from the cold for those in need," according to the city of Middletown's website. The center will be open to the the public from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. every day of the week.
Middletown Mayor Daniel T. Drew's Task Force on Homelessness is sponsoring the warming center thanks to "in-kind services" provided by the River Valley Services mental health center and city funding.
Anyone seeking more information on the Middletown warming center or interested in making donations can call 860-344-0097.
Bloomfield
Three locations in Bloomfield will serve as warming centers this week.
Local
The Alvin & Beatrice Wood Human Resources Center at 330 Park Avenue will be open from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Those seeking shelter are asked to use the community/youth center entrance on the west side of the building.
The Prosser Library at 1 Tunxis Avenue will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, according to the town.
McMahon Wintonbury Library at 1015 Blue Hills Avenue will serve as the town's third warming center and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
Water will be available at all warming shelters, but residents are encouraged to bring their own food, along with any medications or personal items. Service dogs are welcome.
"When you have a cold snap like we're going through right now, we tend to open up," said Bloomfield Town Manager Philip Schnenck. "It's kind of a shake-down for us too so we can work through any issues we have."
More information on the state winter weather response is available online.
Did your town open a warming center? Email us at news@nbcconnecticut.com to let us know!
