Army locations in MN, ND offer help amid deep freeze
It may be obvious, but: When temperatures drop to dangerous levels, every Salvation Army location in the Twin Cities, Greater Minnesota and North Dakota is available for anyone to come inside and warm up during weekday business hours. (There’s coffee, too.)
Beyond this basic service, though, some locations are equipped to provide extra relief from the biting cold. Chief among these locations are Minnesota Salvation Army centers in Mankato, St. Cloud, Rochester and the Twin Cities, all of which offer all-night shelter:
- Mankato: Beds for 33 adult men. Open 6 p.m.–8 a.m., seven days a week, November through March. Hot showers, hot supper and laundry facilities.
- St. Cloud: 69-bed shelter for singles and families. Hot showers, hot supper and laundry facilities. Open year-round.
- Rochester: Overnight warming center for up to 20 guests. This is an “overflow” center open only when: 1. Other local shelters are full. 2. The National Weather Service issues a wind chill advisory. Open 8 p.m.–8 a.m., with check-in until midnight.
- Twin Cities: An additional 50 overnight spaces are available for men at Harbor Light Center during the harsh temperatures, and another 50 beds for men or women are available with our partners at First Covenant Church.
Of course, most Salvation Army locations don’t have the resources to offer all-night shelter. But many of them are still able to offer added cold-weather services by doing the best with what they have.
In Williston, N.D., for example, people sleeping outside or in their cars are given quilts, blankets or sleeping bags, as resources allow.
“We have had numerous donations of quilts made by a local church,” said an appreciative Captain Joshua Stansbury, co-leader of the Williston Salvation Army, adding that all Salvation Army locations happily accept such donations.
Also accepted: new or gently-used coats, hats, mittens, and other winter wear. Salvation Army locations are quick to give these items away to anyone who needs them.
That includes The Salvation Army in Willmar, Minn., which has a special storage area reserved for warm clothing.
“We converted one of our old bathrooms into a coat room,” affirmed Captain Linda Faye Jones, leader of the Willmar Salvation Army. “We also stock scarves, hats, mittens and socks. We give them away on the spot. No appointment is needed.”
In dire emergencies, a fair number of Salvation Army locations also offer vouchers for hotel rooms, as funding allows.
Ironically, The Salvation Army’s location in International Falls – one of Minnesota’s coldest cities – rarely offers cold-weather assistance because nobody ever seems to ask for it.
“Up here, you don’t see people out and about on the coldest days – we know what to do,” joked International Falls Salvation Army leader Envoy Beverly Mayfield, speaking on Jan. 11, 2016, when the day’s high temperature reached a depressing 18 below zero.
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