'Here to support those in need' A look inside Springfield High's ice storm respite center

Volunteers eagerly waited at Springfield High School, looking toward the glass doors of the school's commons, ready to feed the students, staff and families of Springfield Public Schools.

Thursday evening, SPS opened two respite centers to provide shelter and meals for community members in the aftermath of the ice storm. SPS declared a state of emergency Wednesday night after discovering damage in multiple school buildings caused by the ice storms.

Summer Besemann, kitchen manager at SHS, said she was excited to see the faces of students. She was among more than a dozen other SPS staff who volunteered their time to help run the respite center over the weekend.

"Kitchen staff, custodial, we're all in education. We all support our students," Besemann said. "I've seen a lot of people, teachers, and bus drivers wanting to get on the scene and help feed our community, which says a lot to me because they could have stayed home ... but they'd rather be here helping us."

SPS canceled classes through Friday with hopes to open some schools on Monday, but a final determination wouldn't be made until the weekend.

"A lot of our kids, this is the only healthy or substantial meal they get ... So when we get a chance to help, it's important to us," Besemann said.

Besemann still doesn't have power at home. She said, fortunately, her husband has an abundance of camping gear that has kept them warm and functioning well. But she has children and grandchildren in the area that she has been worried about.

"Luckily, they didn't lose power, but you still call and check it on grandbabies," Besemann said. "You worry about your family and loved ones, even if you're OK."

Prepared for a big crowd

SHS and the other respite center at Two Rivers-Dos Ríos were selected because they had the most consistent power throughout the ice storm. As of Friday afternoon, nine SPS schools were without power as the Springfield Utility Board continued to repair damaged power poles and downed lines. Approximately 3,500 SUB customers were still without power on Friday.

On Thursday, a boil water notice was still in effect at SHS. Besemann said the staff strategically prepared meals that required minimal water and used their industrial kettles when necessary. They also mainly used paper plates as an added precaution. The boil water notice in the area has since been lifted, although it was still in place in the western region of Springfield as of late Friday.

SHS and TRDR prepared 500 meals each on Thursday, unsure what the turnout would look like.

Besemann said the volunteers were ready to load up plates with extra servings by request. Much of the food they prepared could be saved for the next day, to avoid waste.

"As long as we feed everybody in their fold, that's all I want to do," Besemann said.

SHS had 52 attendees and TRDR had 162 during their three-hour operating period Thursday night.

The centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through at least Sunday at:

• Springfield High School: 875 7th St.

• Two Rivers-Dos Ríos: 1084 G St.

Springfield banding together

In addition to a warm meal, the SHS center offered snacks to take home, phone charging stations, internet access, knitwear donated by an SHS teacher's mom's knitting group, and even a show. SHS Principal José da Silva was planning to show recordings of past SHS performing arts shows to keep people entertained.

Da Silva said the commons room would serve as a "one-stop-shop."

He added that the community at SHS, as well as the broader SPS and the city of Springfield, have banded together as neighbors. Da Silva was particularly impressed with the number of volunteers that stepped up to help with the respite centers, they had even more volunteers than they could use.

"What impresses me the most is the fact that some of the volunteers that we have here today... they are being impacted by the devastation of this event," da Silva said. "So many of them have been without power since last Saturday, but they're here. They're here to support those in need. There's no price tag you can put on that."

Heather Murray, nutrition services supervisor, said there can be a feeling of isolation in the face of such devastation to a community, but Springfield has pulled together in the last few days.

"You feel for the families and the situations and the students that can't come to school, damage to property, all the things that the community is dealing with," Murray said. "Then you get to come into this situation (at SHS) and pull teams together, to give back ... it's just invaluable to see that type of teamwork."

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Springfield Public Schools' ice storm respite center serves over 200 meals