Macon Transit provides rides to Brookdale Warming Center

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority joined multiple community agencies to provide people a warm and safe place to stay at the Brookdale Warming Center. This is according to a Macon-Bibb County news release.

MTA will offer free rides to the center from the Historic Macon Terminal Station for anyone who has a pass provided by local support organizations.

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller said, “There hasn’t been one organization that has said ‘no’ to help make the Brookdale Warming Center possible, and that speaks very highly of our community. One of our conversations from the beginning of putting this together was about getting people there, and I want to thank the Transit Authority for providing these rides.”

MTA route to Brookdale Warming Center

The news release says that MTA  will use the following route to get people to the Brookdale Warming Center: 

• Bellevue Block 1 Route, which runs from the Terminal Station to a stop close to the Center. The last bus for this route leaves the Transfer Center at 7:55 p.m. on weekdays and 5:25 p.m. on Saturdays 
• The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office will also bring people to the center
• Macon-Bibb County will also work with churches and other agencies to help with transportation

MTA President & CEO Craig Ross said, “We know that, if people can’t pay for heat in their homes or are homeless, they may not have reliable transportation, so we want to remove that barrier and get as many people there as possible. We have the resources to help people in need, and this is a chance for our entire community to step forward and help. We wish this effort wasn’t necessary, but we’re proud to be part of the team making it happen.”

Donations

The news release also says that several of the organizations need specific resources to help run the facility and support the people staying there. 

Volunteers are needed to help run the facility, according to the news release. 

• Visit www.unitedwaycg.org/volunteer to sign up.  
• You can also call the Salvation Army at 478-746-8572. 

You can also support the effort by donating the following items. All cloth items must be new and not used.

• Disposable coffee cups and stirrers
• Individual packs of cream and sugar for coffee
• Toiletries
• Washcloths
• Gloves
• Socks
• Knit hats
• A clothing rack
• 60 large rectangle nine-cup Ziploc containers
• Laundry detergent pods so people and families can wash clothes
• Books, board games, puzzles, and other activities for people of all ages, including children
• Gift cards
• Money to the Central Georgia COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund

The Center is opening at first as only a warming center where people can get out of the cold, take a shower, get three meals per day provided by the Salvation Army, and be safe. 

It will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the next 60-90 days in order to get people through the coldest months. 

There will be two separate wings of rooms for people to stay in, one for adults and one for families with children. 

Shower facilities will be made available, and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office will provide security the entire time. 

Moving forward, other services will be provided, including mental health evaluations, educational support, health services, and more.

All COVID-19 guidelines will be followed, including temperature checks as people check in to the facility, masks will be required in the building except when eating, and hand sanitizer bottles will be placed around the building. 

Tables in the cafeteria have been spaced out to enforce social distancing.