Claremore Church Opens As Cooling Station Amid Intense Summer Heat

A Claremore church is now operating as a cooling station in Rogers County for anyone who needs to beat the extremely hot temperatures. The doors will stay open as long as temperatures are dangerously hot.

Claremore’s First United Methodist Church opened its west campus doors along Highway 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week and has lots of tables and chairs inside for anyone who needs to get out of the heat. Inside, visitors can pass the time by watching TV and movies, reading books or playing games. There is also a separate area set up just for kids.

The church is working in conjunction with the Rogers County Sheriff's Office, which will help people get to the location if they get a call about someone struggling in the heat. They plan to stay open as long as temperatures are dangerously hot.

Organizers say the church is open to anyone in the area. Leaders say they realize the need is great for the homeless population and also people who may be struggling to make ends meet right now.

"They’re not able to pay their electric bill, they’re not able to fix their heating and air unit that has broken, so this is important to us because even if we just offer shelter for those hottest hours of the day, it’s opening up our hearts to the people who need that," said Chelsi Compton, with First United Methodist Church of Claremore.

The church is in need of volunteers during some parts of the day to man the cooling station and also could use donations of bottled water.