OXNARD : Red Cross to Open Shelter Every Night

Starting Wednesday, the Red Cross will open its Oxnard shelter every night until March 15.

The shelter operates out of the National Guard Armory on K Street, and has only been open when the temperature dipped below 40 degrees or there was at least a 50% chance of rain. But Red Cross officials said a federal grant will allow them to keep the armory open every night.

Shelter officials expect about 40 people to use the shelter each night until the weather gets worse and temperatures drop. The shelter can hold as many as 120 people, said Brian Bolton, executive director of the Ventura County Red Cross.

The Red Cross provides hot dinners each night and a breakfast snack in the morning. Bolton said volunteers are needed to help set up cots, prepare meals and clean up.

“We have to turn this back over to the National Guard in the morning, so every night we start from scratch,” Bolton said.

Volunteers can contact the Red Cross shelter coordinator at 339-2234.

It costs about $9 to house one person for one night at the shelter. The Red Cross is accepting donations. Those interested can make checks payable to the Emergency Warming Shelter at the Ventura County Chapter of the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 5850, Ventura, Calif. 93003. The shelter is located at 351 S. K St. in Oxnard. The facility is open from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.