How to get shelter, food and other help during ice storm

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Food banks, shelters and community organizations are preparing for Winter Storm Fern to ensure residents have access to meals, shelter and supplies.

The city of Augusta partners with some of those nonprofits to offer overnight warming shelters, which will be open Saturday and Sunday as an ice storm brings possibly serious accumulations of freezing rain.

Overnight warming centers

Augusta Transit will provide complimentary transportation to designated overnight warming shelters between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. To arrange transportation, call 706-821-1719 before 8 p.m. Saturday or between 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday.

Pickup locations:

Broad Street Transfer Facility – 1546 Broad St.
May Park Community Center – 622 Fourth St.

Shelter locations:

Augusta Rescue Mission, 526 Walker St. (Route 3 – Gold Line/East Augusta)
Salvation Army Center of Hope, 1384 Greene St. (Route 3 – Gold Line/East Augusta)

The May Park Community Center will serve as an alternate shelter with check-in from 5 to 9 p.m. May Park will also serve as a daytime warming center on Saturday and Sunday between noon and 5 p.m.

People who intend to stay at a center will need a clearance from deputies. Beginning at 5 p.m., a deputy will be on-site at May Park to assist individuals and provide the necessary documentation. After 5 p.m., contact the sheriff’s office dispatcher at 706-821-1080 and choose option 4 when prompted.

Emergency shelters expanding capacity

The Aiken Salvation Army is preparing to double its usual capacity to provide safety from the cold and meals to the community.

“The living quarters here and this area are all full of cots. There will be so many cots in here that when you open the door, it’ll actually hit the cots,” said Elana Williams, director of development at the Salvation Army.

The shelter is stocking food, heaters and propane and will open to anyone needing meals during the storm. The Salvation Army will post updates on social media about when emergency meals will be available.

The Augusta Salvation Army says it has served an average of 18 children per night. The Augusta shelter says it is currently at capacity, but continues to set up additional overnight beds and cots where possible.

“Our team is doing everything we can with the space and resources we have,” said Maj. Jonathan Raymer, area commander. “When temperatures drop, the need becomes urgent very quickly. We are working around the clock to ensure people have somewhere safe to go, but the reality is that our current facility can only stretch so far.”

Despite capacity challenges in shelter programs, the Center of Hope will continue serving hot meals every night at 5:30 p.m. through its soup kitchen. Winter clothing and blankets are also available for individuals in need.

Food banks and pantries ready to assist

Golden Harvest Food Bank is encouraging the community to visit local pantries to pick up food before weather conditions worsen. The organization said it is preparing its facilities and generators to reduce the possibility of food going bad during the weather event.

“We’re encouraging all neighbors who may be food insecure to visit their local food pantry as soon as possible during normal time when the weather is well,” said Jake Griffis, chief operating officer at Golden Harvest.

The organization is ensuring that food is “staged and ready and accessible if we need to open our doors sooner than later to our partners so they can have access,” Griffis said.

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Golden Harvest said it will continue serving food this weekend on Saturday and Sunday through the Master’s Table Community Kitchen in downtown Augusta, which is open every day of the year. Chick-fil-A in North Augusta is donating food for the Master’s Table on Saturday.

“We also have a lot of volunteers who will be packing sandwiches for Sunday and Monday to make it easy because we know we probably won’t have a lot of volunteers based on the weather and so it will be easier for our team and volunteers to serve our guests,” said Abby Muehlfeld, vice president of marketing at Golden Harvest Food Bank. “We are preparing ahead and making sure we are able to serve our neighbors downtown.”

The Master’s Table Community Kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to noon every day on Fenwick Street.

Additionally, the Family YMCA of Greater Augusta is accepting nonperishable food donations for pantries at all nine of its locations.

People who need to find a food pantry can visit Golden Harvest’s website and click “Find Help,” then “Food Finder.” Users can enter their location to see pantries near them. Golden Harvest said it will share updates on its Facebook page in case of any changes.

Community hubs and warming centers

The Family YMCA of Greater Augusta plans to open its doors to community members who lose power, regardless of membership status.

“We want to be there and be a hub for the community so they can go straight to the branches, whether you are a member or not, that doesn’t matter in times of need,” said Melanie Quick, vice president of membership and mission advancement.

The YMCA will provide food, hot showers and a warm place for people to gather. Quick noted that “when the hurricane came through, the YMCA found a way to open our doors, find generators, whatever we needed to do to serve our community.”

Georgia State Parks will open warming stations for public use beginning at noon on Saturday.

ParkPass fees will be waived for those using these group shelter warming stations.

Saturday at 8:00 a.m., a live interactive map showing state park warming shelter sites will be available at gastateparks.org/Alerts.

Clothing and supply assistance

Grace Place Mission Center is experiencing increased demand for winter clothing and supplies as families prepare for the cold weather.

“A lot of people looking for warm winter clothing, especially for their kids, jackets and hoodies, blankets and comforters, even sleeping bags in some cases,” said Greg Mason, director of Grace Place Mission Center.

The center is seeking donations of blankets, hoodies, socks and space heaters. Mason emphasized the need for nonperishable foods that don’t require heating, particularly important if power outages occur.

Community support essential for extended storm

While organizations have stockpiled supplies for short-term emergencies, the Salvation Army warns that extended storm impacts may require continued community support.

“We will definitely depend on our community to be able to take care of those ones that we need to,” Williams said, noting that financial donations are critical if the storm persists beyond a few days.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen, but we do want to make sure that, you know, when we’re needed the most, that we are doing what we need to do and that we have what we need to be able to take care of our community,” she added.

McCormick warming shelter to open

To support residents impacted by possible power outages and unsafe conditions due to the expected inclement weather, a warming shelter will open at the following location at 2 p.m. Saturday at the McCormick County Administrative Building, 610 S. Mine Street.
Pets are not permitted
Refrigerators will not be available for food (medicine only)
Residents must bring their own food, medications, and supplies
Bring your own bedding
Residents are responsible for transportation to and from the warming station. If you don’t have transportation, you can call the EMS non-emergency number (864-465-2000). They may be able to assist depending on their call volume and weather conditions.

You can find live updates on South Carolina shelter locations here: https://www.scemd.org/stay-informed/emergency-shelters/.