TULSA, Okla — The John 3:16 Mission in Downtown Tulsa is just one of many centers providing aid to people who need extra help to get through the winter.
Ryan McCullough has worked with John 3:16 for 13 years.
He said seeing how much the organization has grown has been an amazing experience.
“It's been really inspiring and exciting to see the development of how we're able to reach more people, more demographics, and really make an impact on the community in a way that's sustained and sustainable," he said.
He said winter weather can be challenging for many individuals who don't have access to a warm place to stay.
McCullough said this year they implemented a new system to help keep everyone organized to try and serve as many people as possible.
“With the population that we serve, a lot of times, they don't necessarily have access to weather updates, and, you know, the weather forecast, and so this type of thing can really surprise them," he said. “We set up a hotline that was intended for local organizations and first responders and authorities to where they can call and get real time updates on our capacity so that they know if we're able to take anybody or not, or if it's a good fit, if we’re able to help them.”
Ryan said now that the storm is over, he would expect fewer people to be coming into the shelter, but that hasn’t been the case.
“Now that perhaps the temporary shelters are shut down, we are seeing now we're seeing a wave of individuals come to us from those overflow shelters, and that's okay," he said.
Ryan said John 3:16 is using its overflow areas more frequently and that teams are ready to help anyone in need, especially now that there are fewer places to go.
While it is a lot of work, Ryan said it's all worth it, and he wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
“You get to see the change in them and the hope and the confidence," he said. "That change of, I can do this, I can get on my feet, and that’s what it’s all about.”
More information about getting involved with John 3:16 and making physical or monetary donations is available on their website here.
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