BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) -- This will be the third year that the Jimmie Hale Mission has served as Birmingham's warming station when temperatures drop.
Executive Director Perryn Carroll said they are already preparing for between 35 and 40-degree nights of freezing temperatures, as well as four to six 24-hour periods where the temperatures do not rise above 32 degrees.
The temperature dip this week also has Firehouse Ministries, which serves hot meals and provides cots for additional male guests during inclement weather, collecting cold weather items like hats and hot hands to pass out.
“We go over capacity for these situations,” Shelter Director Kay Hatcher explained. “So we’ll open the shelter for the clients to be warm, make sure that they’re fed, make sure they have the appropriate clothing.”
Monday afternoon CBS 42 also caught with the non-profit ministry Those at “Food for Our Journey,” a nonprofit ministry that passes out bagged lunches to those in need, said anything with a carrying strap, like sleeping bags and large blankets, are needed. All of these organizations rely on donations.
Executive Director Perryn Carroll says the warming station is for more than the unsheltered.
“It’s particularly troubling to see the elderly who come to our warming station because they don’t have enough insulation, they just don’t have warmth in their home.”
Christine Golab with the nonprofit ministry "Food for our Journey" explains why handing out cold weather gear is so important for the people she serves:
“So that they are first of all protected from the elements and second of all it makes them feel like they are part of the community.”
For more information on how to help with the change of season, visit Firehouse Ministries, Jimmie Hale Mission or Food for our Journey's website.