Warming Centers in Paragould are helping their community members with free food and shelter

PARAGOULD,AR- Snow, snow, and more snow is coming for Northeast Arkansas, leading to many places in the area opening warming centers.

Mission Outreach and Greater Vision in Paragould are helping their community members as much as they can including free meals and a place to stay warm.

“We just try to help as much as we can and do as much as we can constantly. We’re trying to think of other ways to help and with the pandemic, we used to cook meals, and now we just have to do to-go items,” Mission Outreach, Executive Director, Jana Burnett said.

Mission Outreach in Paragould is giving free meals breakfast lunch and dinner every day this week to those in need as a grab and go style.

Due to the amount of reconstruction, the outreach center can only house about 15 people.

“So, we’ve got women in the family dorm with families and the men downstairs,” Burnett said.

Burnett recommends visiting greater vision for shelter.

Greater Vision is following all COVID guidelines. Everyone that enters must have a mask, if you are without one, one will be given to you.

“We’ve seen so many posts me personal on Facebook and other social media outlets just talking about their animals and stuff. Bringing them in out this weather, and I thought man if people care this much about animals, how much more do we need to be about a human being a person,” Greater Vision, Co-Pastor, Justin Ethridge said.

Co-Pastor, Justin Ethridge says they have food, hot coffee and chocolate, toiletry items, showers, a place to sleep and stay warm during this winter weather.

They opened their activities center yesterday and have only had 1 person visit.

They will remain open 24 hours until Saturday morning.

“It’s a passion of ours, just the thought of people being out in this cold weather, we wouldn’t be able to handle that, we just want to be the hands and feet of Jesus and be the church God’s called us to be and do what we can when we can,” Ethridge said.

Mission Outreach is accepting donations for nonperishable items and greater vision asks if you see someone out during this weather to contact Paragould Police so they can get them to a warming center.