Emergency warming shelter proves valuable during stretch of bitter cold

(THE MED CITY BEAT) - As many as 15 people at a time used an emergency shelter set up at the Rochester Salvation Army during the recent cold snap, the organization said Monday morning on Twitter.

This is the first year the Salvation Army and its partners have ever offered an emergency warming shelter. 

“The only way we can pull something like this off is through people’s donations,” said Dave Ferber, Rochester Salvation Army director of community engagement, according to a blog post on the organization's website. “People who donated to the red kettles helped to make this happen.”

The shelter will continue to open at 8 p.m. any night a wind chill advisory is issued by the National Weather Service. About 15 beds can be set up in the building, though no one will be turned away if the number people seeking emergency shelter exceeds that number. 

However, it likely won't have to open anytime in the next week week or so. Forecasters expect relatively warm weather to move into the area beginning on Wednesday. Daytime highs could rise about the freezing mark by the weekend.

 

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(Cover photo: Creative Commons)