Low temperatures dipping into the teens and 20s during the holidays may evoke a cozy time with family and friends over hot chocolate.
But for people exposed to the elements for long periods of time, this cold weather could be deadly, and several community groups are stepping up to help.
“I was looking that the wind chill can be as low as six degrees, and people can freeze to death in that type of weather where it won’t get above freezing,” said District 1 Councilman Gerald Anderson. “I am very concerned about the health and safety, not just about our most vulnerable senior citizens, but also our homeless population, who don’t have any way to fend for themselves when this weather hits.”
ars, ckett As they have for years, The Bill Pickett Educational Foundation is reaching out to vulnerable people ahead of the extreme cold, with financial assistance from parishioners and other community members through St. James Episcopal Church, to fund hotel rooms.
“We have a few that are in hotels right now,” Anderson said. “They just needed a place to stay when the weather got cold and rainy this past weekend. They will reach out … If we can keep them there during the week, we will make sure to bring them back for the weekend and find other people.”
Anderson said during Winter Storm Uri, he found a partner in the Rev. Terry Pierce, a priest at St. James, who has spearheaded many such fundraising efforts through her church after experiencing a personal tragedy.
“I got involved with Councilman Gerald Anderson during the ice storm, and during the midst of the ice storm, my sister who was living in an assisted living facility, died in the facility from hypothermia,” Pierce said. “So, it’s a twopronged thing for me. It’s my memorial to my sister, who should not have died, and it’s also the one thing that I can do to protect people in Taylor who aren’t housed.”
Pierce said her congregation and other community members, who have also included Samsung Austin Semiconductor and the Sage Foundation, recently raised about $1,500 to prepare for the upcoming artic blast, and that this is a regular occurrence.
“I send emails and post on Facebook,” Pierce added. “I have become a good beggar, but it’s worth it for this cause… I think people were meant to have shelter. This is just basic that we don’t leave people in the cold and the rain.”
Pierce said anytime she thinks it is too much to keep asking, she thinks of her sister.
“When I am thinking I am tired of begging, or its too much trouble, or where are we going to get the money, I think of Cynthia, who was an intelligent, funny, smart woman, who didn’t deserve to die from being too cold.”
Shepherd’s Heart Food Pantry & Community Ministries also works with vulnerable people to provide them with temporary emergency shelter in cooperation with the Taylor Police Department.
“We don’t have a shelter here, but we work with the motels and shelter them one or two nights until the weather is over, and that’s all we can do because there is no shelter to put them in” said Loretta Masters, the pantry’s director. “We take individuals and we put them in hotel rooms to shelter them through inclement weather.”
Masters said the food pantry will also be giving out food on Thursday, Dec. 22 from 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Funding for these efforts, as well as other kinds of emergency assistance, comes from many churches and businesses.
“The Taylor Area Ministerial Alliance help us raise money throughout the year for family emergencies,” Masters said. “We call this a family emergency.”
Pastor Jeff Ripple, an organizer with TAMA, said they will be working with two hotels they normally use but can add another if need be.
“We have a third hotel that will make rooms available, if necessary,” Ripple said. “Because rooms and resources are limited, we want to encourage people to open their homes to family members and friends who have no place to go. We will work through the public and Taylor PD to identify those in greatest need. We will continue monitoring the situation and remain as flexible as resources will allow. We have a good network we hope will be sufficient to get those most vulnerable through this bitter cold.”
Locals feed and clothe those in need
In addition, last Saturday Dec. 17, local restaurant Seed to Soul Food and 10,000 Fearless First Responders, a disaster preparedness humanitarian organization, gave away about 1,000 coats, gloves and scarves to area residents from the parking lot of their restaurant.
Owner Christina Muhammad said she and her husband get involved in efforts like this every year.
“Winter is coming, and we have a lot of people who are vulnerable, and they may not have the funds to purchase a new coat … but everyone deserves to be warm,” she said. “That’s a basic need.”
Muhammad said their efforts are geared towards serving the people around them.
“We are about community,” Muhammad said. “We also feed the homeless there every day. They eat the same thing that everyone else eats. If they are in need, it is my duty to help them.”
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It’s a twopronged thing for me: It’s my memorial to my sister, who should not have died, and it’s also the one thing that I can do to protect people in Taylor who aren’t housed.”
- Rev. Terry Pierce.
Photo by Fernando Castro
