A few piles of jackets, blankets and socks were available at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen during lunchtime Tuesday, but the items went fast.
While coming in for a hot meal, dozens of people came to a table there to pick out something to keep warm.
The short shelf-life illustrates the impact this week’s cold front has had on those experiencing homelessness in Spartanburg. Through donations, the soup kitchen has been able to offer some items to those in need, but the charity could use more this week.
“We’re willing to take what we have and utilize it to make life better for others,” said Lou Sartor, the soup kitchen’s director.
An arctic air mass has caused temperatures to dip into the teens at night and struggle to get above freezing during the day in Spartanburg and the rest of the Upstate. The cold front moved in Sunday and is expected to last through the week, according to the National Weather Service.
Sartor said Tuesday the kitchen's donated items were “flying off the shelves.”
The need is great even though donations have been generous, she said. The soup kitchen, at 136 S. Forest St., is asking for larger-sized jackets, hats, gloves and any other items that can be given out to provide warmth.
After running out of gloves, Sartor showed some people how pairs of socks can be used as makeshift gloves. Those without a home are willing to use whatever will keep them warm, she said.
“Someone just brought over a bunch of socks for children. That shows you the concern people have to help us with this. We’re making sure we have as much as we can,” Sartor said.
Early afternoon temps teetered around 28 degrees, and Sartor said the soup kitchen is seeing a larger crowd this week because of the cold.
Willie Goggins, 53, donned a thin jacket with a broken zipper as he sat down for his lunch. He was hoping for a thicker coat, but after trying on a couple of donated jackets, he settled on one that was the right size before it was gone.
“It’s rough. It’s rough,” he said. “I don’t have enough clothes to deal with this.”
Patricia Mylen, 51, said she lives in a two-bedroom trailer with a space heater that struggles to keep the place above 50 degrees. She said her family brings its dogs and cats inside overnight and the pets sleep on top of each other to keep warm.
“I’ve had to take the blanket I usually use for me to wrap up the kittens, and I’ve had to sleep with my jacket on and hat. This is not nice,” she said. “We’re doing the best we can. We’re all trying to stay warm, so it’s not easy. We’re trying to make it easier, but it’s not really working.”
Mylen left the soup kitchen with a new pair of socks for her hands and a handful of groceries.
Not far away, Spartanburg’s cold weather shelter at Miracle Hill Rescue Mission on North Forest Street is open this week. Typically, the shelter only opens on nights that get below 40 degrees, but given this week's forecast, the shelter has been open around the clock, Director Calvin Vinson said.
“We’re pretty busy around here,” he said.
The cold weather shelter sleeps 36 people and a chapel there can sleep an additional 80 as overflow. About 72 people stayed at Miracle Hill Sunday and Monday nights.
Vinson said if people keep coming, he might be able to work with the Fire Marshal’s Office to accommodate more.
“We’ve never asked the question of 'What if it doesn’t get above 40?' It’s beginning to look like it’s going to be a week long thing. This is uncharted territory," Vinson said. "I hope this is the exception to the rule and we don’t have to deal with this every winter."
Cold weather also was to blame for more than 1,000 power outages in Spartanburg County on Tuesday, according to Duke Energy. Most had been restored by late afternoon.
Outages can occur as a result of overworked equipment from customers using more electricity to power heaters and household items.
Duke Energy spokesman Ryan Mosier said residents are asked to turn off unnecessary lights and reduce thermostats to the lowest comfortable setting when home, and to turn thermostats down when leaving the house.