VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) — People are huddling together in the cold across Lowndes County, and, for some, cardboard and shared body heat are the only defense against weeks of freezing temperatures.
- South Street Community Care Home is open daily, offering warmth, supplies, and meals to anyone in need.
- A county warming shelter and mobile food deliveries are operating across Valdosta during the extended cold snap.
- Watch the video below to see resources available to neighbors.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“We try to offer them hope and let them know just keep trying, don’t give up. God loves them, and we’re going to support them as much as we can.”
I'm Malia Thomas, your neighborhood news reporter here in Valdosta, speaking with how one South Street resident about how's she's making sure her neighbors are staying warm.
At the center of this cold-weather response is Sandra Tooley, founder of the South Street Community Care Home, who says this winter has been unlike anything she’s seen.
"This has been a little different. We haven't had this much coldness in this, you know, length of time. It's usually maybe a couple of days. But it's been cold, kind of regular and the longevity of it," Tooley said.
Tooley says people are arriving desperate for warmth, clinging to each other just to survive.
"And it has caused a lot of people...to show up needing blankets and everything. A lot of people huddle together trying to be comfortable. They get cardboard. They do a lot of other things," Tooley said.
That reality pushed her team, taking blankets,gloves,coats,hygiene kits,and hot meals directly into the community.
"We care, and we will do what we can to help them," she said.
South Street's doors are open daily, welcoming anyone, housed or unhoused, needing warmth,showers,or just a moment out of the cold.
And across Lowndes County, other resources are stepping in too.
Our Lowndes County Public Information Officer Meghan Barwick says preparation and connection are critical right now.
"We encourage our residents to, if you're outside, layer. Check on those that are most vulnerable," she said.
A community warming shelter is open at the Women's Building on North Patterson Street. While other places like the Hahira Community Center are delivering about 100 food bags each Wednesday to neighbors who can't safely travel in the cold, or just in general.
So resources like the South Street Community Care Home, the warming shelter, and the mobile delivery meals are available for all neighbors until further notice.
In Valdosta, I'm Malia Thomas reporting for ABC27.
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