As our region entered an excessive heatwave this summer, particularly during the last week of June, Catholic Charities Eastern Washington (CCEW) opened five cooling centers in the downtown Spokane corridor at existing Catholic Charities housing complexes. Each of these cooling centers were open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from June 29 through July 4. The cooling centers were open to anyone in the community in need of respite from the heat.

Each building saw the community step up in incredible ways. Local organizations and concerned citizens delivered cases of bottled water, ice bags to keep everything cool, sandwiches, snacks, and much more. Clients were incredibly appreciative as they came in off the street into a welcoming, air-conditioned environment ready to serve them. At times, Catholic Charities staff mobilized into the streets to hand out cool water bottles to anyone in need.

The centers provided a place to cool down, converse about the crazy weather, and experience a much-needed reprieve from the sun. We thank our many volunteers who stepped up to work at the cooling centers, deliver water, ice, and snacks, and we thank those that offered a helping hand and a smile to a public that needed it during an unusually hot summer!

With more than 40 total buildings in our portfolio across eastern Washington, CCEW is blessed to be able to create safe spaces, filled with the presence of loving staff.