If you are looking for a place to stay warm, SecondFirst Church will serve as a warm center until March of this year. What he does to welcome everyone.
ROCKFORD (WREX) – It’s opening week for the Overnight Café at SecondFirst Church in the Stateline.
If you have nowhere to go tonight, coming here can save your life and the life of your family.
“We are opening up a well-lit space for anyone who needs to get out of the cold,” said Rebecca White Newgren, pastor at SecondFirst.
And for those who don’t think they need shelter during this time, think again. Pastor Rebecca White Newgren says don’t take any chances.
“It’s dangerously cold out there,” White Newgren said. “So we really hope everyone comes in.”
Doctors at Stateline even advise that your best bet for staying safe is finding your nearest warming center.
“So what can happen is that your blood can freeze,” said Dr Martine Schultheis, family doctor at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center. “It can specifically damage your lungs and skin.”
And it only takes a few minutes before the damage is done.
“It’s important not to be outside for too long because even in ten minutes you can get serious injuries,” Schultheis said.
But you can avoid injury by staying indoors, like in places like SecondFirst Church, where it provides warmth and comfort.
“When people come in, they can warm up, have hot drinks and a hot meal,” White Newgren said. “We have hot showers and laundry and lots of warm blankets, gloves, comfy things that people can wear to make them more comfortable here.”
Welcome everyone with open and warm arms.
Overnight Café encourages anyone in the public to make a donation so that it can provide housing for those in need. He looks for meals, sleeping bags, socks and underwear of all sizes.
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