FRANKLIN CO., Va. – As winter approaches, the community in Southwest Virginia is coming together to ensure everyone stays safe and warm during the cold months.
Redwood United Methodist Church has partnered with Callaway Church of God to provide both a daytime and nighttime warming center for those in Franklin County. These facilities provide safe, warm places for people to escape the harsh winter chill.
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Callaway Church of God operates Sheltering Arms of Franklin County and they provide a daytime shelter for the unhoused in Rocky Mount. Each morning they transport those who spent the night at the Redwood United Methodist Church warming center to their facility, where guests can stay and receive support from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sheltering Arms then transports everyone back to Redwood Methodist.
Resources provided by Callaway Church of God include, but aren’t limited to, a hot breakfast and lunch, free health screenings provided by a partnership with Carilion Clinic Community Health and Outreach on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, and essential services.
Pastor Bryan Buckles of Redwood United Methodist Church shared, “Last night we had 13, last year we had times 20 or more. But we normally get to the mid to upper teens, and again sometimes over 20.”
The Salvation Army Lynchburg Corps is also stepping up, running a warming center every night from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. through the end of March. Their efforts extend beyond Franklin County, welcoming guests from neighboring areas.
Regina Franklin, executive director of Warming Shelter Franklin County, explained, “We’re working with Sheltering Arms, and they just started up a couple months before we opened for this season. They have a couple of shelters in Roanoke, but there’s one in Martinsville too. We have gotten a few people that come from Martinsville here to stay.”
Warming Shelter Franklin County is open seven days a week from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., providing vital support to those in need during the cold season.