Public Media for Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

Cold, Wet Conditions Prompt Bethel Winter House To Open Two Weeks Early

Anna Rose MacArthur

The Bethel Winter House is opening two weeks early this year, on Saturday, Nov. 16. Located in the Bethel Evangelical Covenant Church, the shelter provides a warm place for people to sleep during the year’s coldest months. 

Winter House Board President Jon Cochrane says that Bethel’s cold, wet conditions prompted the shelter’s early opening. It will also remain open two weeks longer in the spring, closing in mid-April. Grants from the City of Bethel and from Wells Fargo, together totaling $45,000, are funding the extension. Last winter, the shelter provided a warm place to sleep for between seven to 49 people per night. 

Winter House relies on community members to cook and provide meals. If you want to prepare a dinner for the shelter, you can sign up on the meal calendar on the Winter House website. The shelter also accepts financial donations and is asking for socks as well. Many clients arrive with wet feet, and Cochrane says that the Winter House is a great place to give away your mismatched socks.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Winter House is opening on November 15, 2019. That information has been corrected to state the shelter is opening on November 16, 2019.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Anna Rose MacArthur served as KYUK's News Director from 2015-2022.