Volunteers help homeless Edmontonians through cold snap

With Edmonton under an extreme cold warning, volunteers are providing much needed warmth to those most at risk for hypothermia and frostbite – our city’s homeless.

Mike Harris has been homeless for about seven weeks and was waiting in line to get into Hope Mission Friday night.

“We sit here for an hour and a half in a lineup just to go to sleep at night and by the end of that hour and a half, you can’t feel anything. You’re frozen. You just want warmth and to go to sleep,” he explained.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We sit here for an hour and a half in a lineup just to go to sleep at night and by the end of that hour and a half, you can't feel anything. You're frozen. You just want warmth and to go to sleep," he explained.

That’s when about a dozen volunteers set up shop on the corner with hot chocolate, pizza and Timbits.

“It definitely makes it a lot easier to be out,” Harris said. “It’s nice. People actually care about other people in this world. Not everyone is heartless. The biggest thing I’d say people need is food and clothes. I work all day, so I miss all the meals that come here. So the people that bring food, that’s the only thing I eat all day. If there’s nobody to bring food, I don’t eat.”

Cory-Lynn Franco and Jaclyn Reid rallied their family and friends to share whatever they could with people in need.

“You don’t really realize how much you have and how little everyone else has. When we’re thinking about how cold it is outside, you have to think about how people don’t have the option to go inside and warm up. It just breaks your heart a little bit,” Reid said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You don't really realize how much you have and how little everyone else has. When we're thinking about how cold it is outside, you have to think about how people don't have the option to go inside and warm up. It just breaks your heart a little bit," Reid said.

This year, for the first time, the Hope Mission is offering warm, safe beds 24 hours a day. Having a bed to sleep in at night is something Harris appreciates now more than ever.

READ MORE: Hope Mission to provide 24/7 beds to Edmontonians in need of a place to stay

“I took it for granted every day until I had to spend one night out here – like this,” he said. “This time of year, it’s really important. There’s a lot of homeless people, as you can see, and a lot of them aren’t here by choice either. Myself? I work full-time. I lost my place, I lost my woman, I lost everything.”

For those that can’t find a shelter, the city also announced on Friday that Edmonton Transit would keep all underground LRT stations open around the clock in light of the extreme cold warning.

READ MORE: Extreme cold warning issued for Edmonton

To help people get from point A to point B, the volunteers brought donations of warm winter clothes.

“It was alright when it was -3 C, it wasn’t so bad. But now it’s -23 C and you just freeze,” Harris said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It was alright when it was -3 C, it wasn't so bad. But now it's -23 C and you just freeze," Harris said.

“It’s hard to think because it’s so cold,” Franco explained. “Your mouth hurts, it’s hard to talk. So I can’t imagine being out here for more than an hour or two hours.”

Despite the frigid temperatures, the volunteers say it’s worth it to see the smiles on people’s faces.

“They’re so grateful. They don’t care what they’re getting – if they’re getting one pair of socks, one pair of mittens – they’re happy.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They're so grateful. They don't care what they're getting - if they're getting one pair of socks, one pair of mittens - they're happy."