From left, Kobe Kabba, Sandy Leavell and Blake Lovain arrange cots in the sanctuary of the Salvation Army on McCallie Avenue in this file photo.Kimberly George, director of marketing and development for the Salvation Army of Greater Chattanooga, said the emergency cold-weather shelters for the homeless are closed for now, but officials are keeping an eye on the weather and will open them again should temperatures drop below freezing.
"We are looking toward the weekend," George said. "It looks like that's the next time it's below freezing."
She said they monitor the weather on a daily basis. If the weather drops below 32 degrees, the shelters will open.
Jens Christensen, executive director of the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, said they do not have any special programs during especially cold weather, but continue to serve three meals daily and have seen an increase in people coming to eat.
"There's always an increase with this time of year ... mostly because of the holiday season, so we have seen an increase," he said. "Absolutely."
George said the Salvation Army still needs donations of coffee, blankets and toiletries, among other things. She said the community has been responsive in providing those things as a result of the cold snap, but they can always use more.
She said the cold weather has left the organization needing more donations of money and items than usual.
"This is the very first time where we've seen that we have to open up cold-weather shelter before we start our Christmas efforts," she said. "I've never seen where we have had to open up shelter before we started ringing bells."
Donations can be brought to the Salvation Army at 822 McCallie Ave.
Contact staff writer Hannah Smith at hsmith@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6731.