How you can help Joplin organizations with winter relief efforts

JOPLIN, Mo. — Local organizations are turning to the community to help them provide warm meals to the homeless.

Joplin First Church of the Nazarene along with the Minnie Hackney Community Service Center are providing warming spaces for homeless individuals as temperatures stay below freezing.

During that time, they are fed three meals a day from each of the locations and bused from one location to the other.

Pastor Shana McGarra says the pantry is nearly empty as they can only feed people one by one, making it hard to feed people in large groups.

That's why they're asking the community for donations of big canned items and dog food.

Meat, cans of vegetables, or any other bulk food items to help feed between 100 to 150 people at one time.

She says prepared food that is made to feed more than that amount is also welcome.

"We're called to love our neighbor. And this is a part of that. We're called to take care of other people and to serve other people. And the last thing I would want on my conscience is that somebody froze to death in this weather and we weren't able to provide a place for them to come and get warm and get a hot meal," said Shana McGarra, Joplin First Church of the Nazarene Pastor.

Donations can be dropped off at the old Broadway Club from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, or at Nines Lives Cat Rescue and Adoption Center on Sundays through Wednesdays from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. or Saturday's from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

McGarra says along with donations, they are also in need of more volunteers during this time.