Cold-weather shelters opening in Chattanooga

Blankets are piled near mats arranged on the floor on Jan. 7, 2015, at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen. Temperatures are expected to plummet Thursday and Friday.
Blankets are piled near mats arranged on the floor on Jan. 7, 2015, at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen. Temperatures are expected to plummet Thursday and Friday.

To help

› For Salvation Army volunteer information, email Alissa.Best@uss.salvationarmy.org, or call 423-505-1052.Donate at the Salvation Army office on McCallie Avenue, or mail to 822 McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37403. Donations also are taken online at www.csarmy.org, by calling 1-800-Sal-Army.› Mail money donations for the Chattanooga Community Kitchen to P.O. Box 11203, Chattanooga, TN 37401, or bring in-kind donations to the building at 727 E. 11th St.› Apply to be a community kitchen volunteer at community-kitchen.org/community-kitchen-online-volunteer-application› If you see animals suffering in the cold, call the McKamey Animal Center shelter at 305-6500 for immediate attention or the nonemergency tip line at 305-6508.

With a cold snap on the way, the Salvation Army and the Chattanooga Community Kitchen will open overnight shelters tonight and Friday.

After days of mild weather, today's high will only be around 44 and the low is predicted to fall to 24. Friday will continue the cooling trend, with highs only around 38 and lows around 21.

The Salvation Army's ReCreate Cafe at 800 McCallie Ave. will open at 7 p.m. both nights to offer overnight shelter, spokeswoman Kimberly George said.

The Chattanooga Community Kitchen at 727 E. 11th St. will take an hour after its usual 5 p.m. daily closing time to switch its space over from a dining room to a shelter, CEO Jens Christensen said. He's sure overnight shelter will be available tonight and Friday, and said Saturday is a possibility. Right now, Saturday's forecast is for a high near 43 and a low around 30.

The community kitchen is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Christensen said the community kitchen will begin opening overnight every night starting Dec. 16.

The Salvation Army put out a call Wednesday for supplies and volunteers to help staff and stock the over- night shelter.

"Our goal is to partner with other agencies to keep people safe and warm with these low temperatures setting in," Maj. Robert Lyle, the local Salvation Army area commander, said in a news release. "However, we need volunteers to help for the shelter."

George said coffee, toiletries and money are all needed.

Also, officials are reminding people not to forget about pets and domestic animals when temperatures drop.

Jamie McAloon with the McKamey Animal Center said state law and city ordinance mandate that outdoor animals have wind- and rain-proof shelter they can curl up in, adequate bedding and fresh, unfrozen water.

Tethered dogs must be taken off chains and given shelter between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., Mc- Aloon said. And outside cats can suffer frostbite on ears and pads of feet if they can't curl up in thick bedding to stay warm.

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