SAN ANTONIO – Area nonprofits still need volunteers to sign up for shifts at warming centers and shelters amid the ongoing cold weather.
The conditions outside remain dangerously cold and unsafe for the most vulnerable. Terri Behling with Haven for Hope says her organization’s role was to transport people without a home to warming centers or shelters over the weekend. They received about 75 calls through the Community Connection Hotline.
Behling said it takes a strong connection and communication between nonprofits doing the same work to help save lives.
“I know that the community in situations like this always says, ‘How can we help?’ Providing financial support to the nonprofits that are doing this work every day is always helpful. In addition to that, we go through a lot of the in-kind donations that we receive,” said.
Here are more details about how many people have been helped so far during the freezing temperatures.
Communities under the Bridge said it housed 61 people and five pets every day this weekend. Volunteers served 180 meals. The nonprofit has decided to remain open for the rest of the week. It needs financial support and volunteers to fulfill its mission. Organizers are asking restaurant owners to consider donating a meal to help them cover the costs to remain open.
Corazon Ministries said it had about 140 people and 5 dogs at its shelter both Saturday and Sunday. Its Day Center will remain open until Friday. The organization has created a volunteer sign-up form in case it needs to open overnight shelters in the following days amid another front.
Bexar County had a total of 19 people and one dog in its five warming centers. Those warming centers are now closed.
The City of San Antonio said 47 people used all six of its Resiliency Hubs, and 398 residents used its overnight shelters on Saturday night. On Sunday night, 70 people used the Resiliency Hubs, and a total of 434 people used overnight shelters operated by the city’s nonprofit partners.
The San Antonio Food Bank helped serve over 2,700 meals, the majority of which were served at warming centers and resiliency hubs.