POCATELLO — Valley Mission is opening its warming shelter starting this week for anyone who may need a place to stay as the winter nights become colder.

Karl Pettit, director of Valley Mission, said the warming shelter at 805 N. Main St. in Pocatello will open starting Saturday, Dec. 27. It will be open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and is open to men and women.

“It will be open on nights when the temperature is 25 degrees or colder,” Pettit said.

Valley Mission opened the warming shelter every year before the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, The Refuge was the warming shelter that people visited.

“Our food pantry got too big to fit (the warming shelter),” Pettit said.

When Valley Mission opened its warming shelter before, about a dozen people came every night. That number increased when The Refuge took over the warming shelter.

“Last year, they had upwards of 30 people a night at the shelter,” Pettit said.

Pettit said a warming shelter is different from a homeless shelter because it is just a place to stay during the night. A homeless shelter would have a kitchen and showers.

“We’re just a cot and a pillow,” Pettit said. “We’ll have hot beverages and breakfast stuff to go in the morning, but it’s just a shelter from the cold weather.”

Valley Mission also is looking for volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering can visit valleymission.org/get-involved.

“Volunteers need to go through training,” Pettit said. “The next training session is coming in January.”