HOPEtown: Shelter in the Time of a Storm
Tracy Harris @tharris@themarshallcountypost.com
On Jan 13, 2024, HOPEtown announced they were teaming up with Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Lewisburg Police Department, and Marshall County Emergency Management to ensure everyone got out of the cold. People who needed shelter did have to go through the sheriff’s office or police station for a vetting process first.
Frank Sullivan, Director of HOPEtown knew that freezing daytime temperatures meant overnight shelter would not be enough. His announcement on Facebook said, “To the best of our ability and hotel capacities we will be using local hotel rooms as shelter. It is our duty and privilege to be able to provide what Jesus longs to be for all of us: a shelter from the storm.”
As of Thursday, Jan 19, 15 rooms were secured. On Friday, Jan. 20, two additional rooms were rented for a total of 17 rooms. HOPEtown was able to cover these expenses due to the generous community. Concerned citizens reached out knowing that the bad weather was coming. The week before the storm came, they “had close to $5,000 donated last week specifically for hotel rooms,” according to Sullivan. Those donations mean that HOPEtown didn’t have to eat into the funds they already had during the blast of cold weather. Now, the organization will be able to help in what Sullivan calls the second phase. “The second phase will hit in two or three weeks, depending on billing cycles, when people’s utility bills roll in. Everyone’s electric, gas, and water bills will all be higher.”
Volunteers also delivered food bags during the storm. According to Sullivan, “We delivered nine to different people stuck at home, brought a dozen more to the motels, and delivered 96 meals on Saturday-enough for each person at the motel to have one.”
