Photo from Salvation Army Facebook page
The Salvation Army of Hopkinsville has made some changes to continue serving those in need during the pandemic and an anonymous donor has allowed the emergency shelter to remain open 24 hours a day.
Alisha Barton with the Salvation Army says they are still serving hot meals at the normal times for lunch, but they’re making to-go plates and arranging for clients to stand an appropriate distance apart to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19.
It became apparent there was a need for additional shelter hours with so many places the homeless population normally frequents during bad weather closing during the pandemic. Barton says it costs an extra $5,000 to keep the emergency shelter open 24/7 and an anonymous donor has made that possible through April 20.
It’s not just money from the public that has helped the Salvation Army meet needs, they’ve also received plastic shopping bags that are needed to hand out pre-sorted food distribution sacks on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Barton says the Salvation Army offices are closed, but anyone with questions can still call or knock on the front door.