Sheila Campbell is the Assistant Kitchen Manager at RAM House and showed us what’s for lunch on Saturday.
Barbecue chicken, chicken casserole, and beef stew were on the menu-all hot meals at the day shelter for many of Roanoke’s homeless men and women.
"Especially if it's really, really cold outside, we do different soups, different dishes that we know will stick with them throughout the day,” said Campbell.
Assistant Manager, Darrell Williams, says they opened at 6 a.m. on Saturday, which is two hours earlier than usual.
"On a cold day, a wet day, or a snowy day, we try to make sure we're here early,” he said.
With plenty of hot coffee to go around, Williams considers all the winter weather we’ve had so far, including last month’s big storm.
"We usually hit our worst part in February, somewhere around in there,” he explained.
The Roanoke Rescue Mission also has to adapt to the cold weather. It’s a night shelter that usually turns visitors away during the day, but on this cold weekend, these people could stay.
“They're able to be here all day today and stay out of this cold weather,” said Lee Clark.
Ram House workers say during really cold weather like this, they'll bus their visitors to and from The Rescue Mission in the morning and the evening so they don't have to walk too far outside.
Another goal for these shelters is keeping the men, women, and children bundled up.
"Well, I've probably given away maybe 10 hats today and about six pairs of gloves. Actually I'm out of gloves now,” said Williams.
It’s just the start of the new year as shelters try to keep up with the cold weather to come this season and the increasing number of visitors.
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