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Volunteers deliver help to those most vulnerable during heat wave

Cooling centers are open all over the Portland area. But for those who are homeless or without air conditioning, people are helping.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portlanders who are most vulnerable to this week's heat wave were delivered supplies Thursday morning, along with words of warning about the triple-digit temperatures. 

A Transition Projects street outreach team checked in on people like Michael, who lives on the streets of Portland. For him, the water and other supplies they brought were appreciated.

“They got hearts of gold and I think that there should be more people like that, you know, just on the earth," said Michael. "It would be great, you know, you see somebody down, help them out."

People without air conditioning could also be vulnerable to the heat, and Meals on Wheels People is stepping in to help them. 

RELATED: Here are the cooling centers open in the Portland area this week

Michele Adamcak has been volunteering with the program about 10 years and finds the work rewarding. 

On Thursday, she delivered meals to The Watershed at Hillsdale, an affordable housing apartment complex in Southwest Portland. The apartments are nice but do not have central air conditioning, so Adamcak had an extra mission to go with the food deliveries.

“We should all have somebody that's checking in on us but there are some people that need that more than others and I feel like that's a big role too, it’s important,” said Adamcak.

She told residents valuable information like how they can escape the heat. 

“You can dial 211 if you need to go to a cooling shelter and someone would come pick you up. So lots of water, cool showers," she told one resident.  

RELATED: 211 help line makes changes to prepare for heat wave

Those tips are worth repeating to anyone who does not have air conditioning during the heat. 

In Vancouver, the Council for the Homeless is working with partner groups to check in on those without shelter, delivering supplies along with cooling center information. For Clark County, the non-emergency number for information and assistance is 311.

Anyone experiencing or observing an emergency, heat-related or not, should call 911.

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