Extreme cold can effect just about anyone, but especially homeless people and animals.
Executive Director of White Rhino Coffee Foundation, Mary O’Connor, says they’ve partnered with OurCalling to do things like provide the homeless with shelter and coffee.
“The average person will only survive three hours in subfreezing temperatures if they don’t have the appropriate clothing to keep them warm,” O’Connor said. “Ever since the weather turned cold in December, we have had collection boxes at all eleven of our White Rhino Coffee locations.”
OurCalling even helped to open up a temporary shelter at Fair Park’s Grand Place Building during the extreme cold front last week. This shelter provided meals, cots and guest-care services for many of DFW’s homeless.
O’Connor says they’re working to bring awareness to the growing number of homeless individuals.
“Last year, there were ten thousand people in Dallas experiencing homelessness,” O’Connor said. “And as a city, as a region, as the state of Texas, we have to do better.”
Besides facing the extreme cold, homeless people face many other type of dangers out on the street. Particularly women.
“Over ninety percent of women on the streets are sexually exploited at some time,” O’Connor said. “So we need to do better as a community to help solve the problem of homelessness, and that’s exactly what White Rhino Coffee is trying to do. Help those ten thousand people that are on our Dallas streets on any given night.”
White Rhino Coffee is accepting warm clothing donations such as jackets, sweatpants, hats, gloves, etc. People can donate at any White Rhino Coffee location.
To donate or to see how to get involved, visit https://www.ourcalling.org/
(Copyright 2024 WBAP/KLIF. All Rights Reserved)