The Al Rashid Mosque said all its cots were used on the first night it opened its doors to anyone needing a place to get out of the freezing temperatures.
The north Edmonton mosque said 12 people stayed at the place of worship Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
“Everybody has given back to us so far, so we wanted to give back to the community,” Al Rashid Mosque member Rada Abdulrazzak said. “Everyone sat down and said, ‘Okay, what can we do? How can we help out? Let’s open our doors. Let’s figure something out.'”
READ MORE: Edmonton’s Al Rashid Mosque opens doors to homeless amid cold snap
WATCH BELOW: The Boyle Street warming bus has been on the road to provide a vital service for people who really need it. Sarah Kraus reports.
On Wednesday, the Al Rashid Mosque announced it was collaborating with the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council to stay open from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. for anyone needing a place to stay overnight, no matter their religion, because of the extremely cold temperatures.
Volunteers stayed overnight to assist those in need, and the visitors were provided with hot meals and other necessities.
The mosque — located at 130 Avenue and 113 Street — was planning to bring in more cots Thursday night to accommodate more people if needed.
Al Rashid said it has received donations of clothing, food and time from community members of various religious backgrounds.
“It’s been great. It’s been fantastic actually. The night went better than expected because we had a good showing, lots of volunteers, lots of everything,” Abdulrazzak said.
“We couldn’t be more thankful. We’ve had lots of support from the outside community and we just want to show our thanks to everybody.”
READ MORE: Tuesday the coldest day in Edmonton in more than nine years
Edmonton has been under an extreme cold warning all week, with temperatures in the city reaching in the -30s C and wind chill factors in the -40s.
WATCH BELOW: Weather specialist Mike Sobel delivers the weather forecast for Edmonton and surrounding areas on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019.
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