TULSA, Okla. — The Salvation Army opened their Center of Hope as a cooling station, activating their Emergency Disaster Services team.
They're looking to provide relief to the homeless in Tulsa, who have no way to escape the heat.
When the temperatures start inching towards triple digits, Major Carlyle Gargis said getting people inside is really life or death.
"Our mobile emergency disaster team responds out in the area with cold water through the downtown area and through various areas of homeless camps," said Gargis. "It’s not just only the homeless; I mean, we serve anybody that would be hot, that would need some water and maybe a place to cool off. It’s very critical. And we’ll just keep this up as long as these triple digits continue.”
The team loads up their truck with frozen cases of water and looks for anyone who may need a place to cool off, some cold water, or even a little prayer.
Scooter Lewis is on the team. Lewis knows all too well what the homeless are going through with no relief from the sun.
“I lived out here two years ago on these streets right here, and I was so hopeless," said Lewis. "The Salvation Army gave me a whole other way of life.”
Living on the streets of Tulsa in the middle of summer is not how anyone wants to spend their day. But Polly Bolding has no other option.
“You can barely breathe, and my head hurts all the time," she said. "I get nauseated, I get real irritable because it’s so hot. It’s just hard on me.”
Bolding said she's been homeless in Tulsa for about a month after getting behind on rent.
The timing, she said, couldn't have been worse.
"I usually try to go to a place where it’s cool," said Bolding. "You just try to stay there the rest of the day and not move around that much because it’s so hot.”
In Tulsa, there are more people in need, than beds available. Carlyle said the Salvation Army cooling station will be open for anyone who needs it.
It's for people like Bolding and anyone else suffering in the heat that they're trying to help.
“It’s just a nice gesture and it also can be something that can really save somebody’s life," said Carlyle. "It’s not just only the homeless; I mean, we serve anybody that would be hot, that would need some water and maybe a place to cool off. It’s very critical. And we’ll just keep this up as long as these triple digits continue.”
Tulsans looking to help can donate cases of bottled water to the Center of Hope at 102 N. Denver Ave. or to their area command at 924 South Hudson.
Carlyle said people can also bring donations to those locations that will go directly to their heat relief fund.
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