An Aurora church wants to warm up the frigid weather.
Attendees at Wesley United Methodist Church in Aurora were invited to take free winter warming kits after worship Sunday, Jan. 19. Volunteers at a Jan. 15 Wednesday Night Gathering, a free biweekly dinner and family activity, formed an assembly line to pack 50 plastic baggies with warming items donated by congregants and friends.
Michelle Curiel, director of children and family programming and assistant director, liturgy and music, coordinated the project. Warming items included hats, gloves, socks, hand warmers, foot warmers, tissue packs, lip balm, wet wipes, travel-size hand lotion, deodorant and hand sanitizer, ibuprofen, protein bars and applesauce packs.
Rev. Tammy Scott of Oswego, lead pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church in Aurora, was awarded the Mayor’s Award of Excellence by Aurora mayor Richard Irvin.
The presentation took place during the Jan. 14 Aurora city council meeting. The citation said, “For your stalwart efforts to assist our most vulnerable neighbors by offering the Aurora Warming Center as temporary respite from the elements and providing nights of rest and comfort.”
Since the day after Thanksgiving, with a team of 33 volunteers and staff members, Wesley has housed over 100 people including 98 individuals and three families overnight on selected nights when the center was activated by the city. Attendance has ranged from six to 33 guests.
“The City of Aurora is proud and grateful to partner with Wesley this season to provide a safe, warm overnight shelter when temperatures drop below a 15-degree F threshold,” the mayor said.
—Al Benson