A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a simple thing. But for our unhoused neighbors, a sandwich perhaps brings some daily comfort to life on the street, even during the dangerous heat of summer.

This year, First Church Phoenix is partnering with Grace Lutheran to not only offer daily lunch food but a Heat Respite Cooling Center in their part of the city seven days a week.

Last summer, Maricopa County recorded 645 heat-related deaths, a 52 percent increase over the previous year. Nearly half of the deaths were unhoused people. There was record heat, with the longest consecutive number of days with temperatures at 110 degrees or above. This summer could be very similar, as we are seeing weather extremes throughout the country, due, at least in part, to climate change. Concerns are great for our unhoused neighbors.

Learn more about what First Church Phoenix is doing this summer.