Local shelters are preparing for people looking to escape the cold

Homeless shelters are busy preparing for an influx of people in the cold weather. The Good Shepherd Center in Wilmington can hold 118 people at night, and is usually full anyway. But several additional people are expected the next few nights, and extra mats are set up for overflow from the dorm rooms.

The Salvation Army is also preparing for a busy night, getting beds and hot meals ready.

Employees at both shelters are happy people are turning to them. Good Shepherd Center Executive Director, Katrina Knight said, “There’s definitely a sense of feeling fortunate that they can get in because they see the crush of demand, they see how many people are wanting to come in off the street, not wanting to sleep in a car with their children, not wanting to sleep in the woods.”

The cold weather is a reminder that shelters are always looking for donations of warm clothes.