Cottage Grove Community Sharing Warming Shelter on Standby for Freezing Nights

Community Sharing put its Community Sharing Warming Shelter on standby for Thursday, Feb. 19 and Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, after forecasters predicted overnight lows of about 29 degrees Fahrenheit and the nonprofit warned activation depends on volunteer staffing. “The Community Sharing Warming Shelter is on standby for Thursday, Feb. 19 and Friday, Feb. 20, 2026,” KVAL reported, and added that activation would proceed “if the weather remains below 30 degrees and volunteers are available.”

If activated, the shelter would operate overnight at Community Sharing’s campus, 1440 Birch Ave., Cottage Grove, with media reports giving slightly different operating windows. KVAL cited an overnight span of 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. for each night, while CG Sentinel set a separate intake window of 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and a morning checkout at 8:00 a.m., noting the site will close for the night if no one arrives by 10:00 p.m.

Community Sharing’s official program guidance sets the activation threshold at 29 degrees Fahrenheit; the organization states, “The warming center program normally operates between November 1 and March 31, and activates when temperatures fall to or below 29 degrees Fahrenheit.” Media outlets summarized the trigger as “below 30 degrees” in some stories, but Community Sharing’s 29°F figure is the program’s stated policy.

The warming shelter will be staged in a two-room building behind the Community Sharing pantry at the back of the 1440 Birch Ave. property. CG Sentinel described the setup as congregate, with one room for food, intake and bathrooms and another room for sleeping, and wrote, “It’s a significant improvement from the cramped administrative offices used last winter, according to Fleck.” No capacity numbers were published in the available reports.

Services while the shelter is open are driven by donations; Community Sharing lists hot food and material goods such as blankets, hats, socks and first aid supplies as available “based on available donations.” Donors are asked to drop items at Community Sharing, 1440 Birch Ave., between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., and the organization also provides a QR code option for monetary gifts.

Volunteer staffing is a stated gating factor for activation. KVAL and KPIC quoted Community Sharing’s call for help: “Community Sharing is seeking volunteers. People interested in volunteering can call 541-942-2176 or email mike@communitysharing.org.” The program also notes multi-night activations strain volunteer capacity.

Community Sharing traces the CSWS model to 2020, formed by a coalition of Community Sharing employees, Beds for Freezing Nights board members, City of Cottage Grove employees and local volunteers; Beds for Freezing Nights itself grew from local meetings in 2009 and operations beginning in 2010. Regional context shows warming sites vary across Lane County: county directories list Oakridge activating at 32°F and Veneta at 29°F, underscoring different local thresholds.

KVAL noted forecasts expected temperatures to warm starting Saturday, so any activation for Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 was contingent both on overnight lows staying at or below the program’s 29°F threshold and on having enough volunteers to staff the two-room shelter at 1440 Birch Ave. For volunteer sign-ups or donation questions, Community Sharing lists phone 541-942-2176, email mike@communitysharing.org and general info@communitysharing.org.