Women Aim To Help Area Homeless
At a time when weather hits its coldest, some area individuals display the warmest of hearts.
Since November, Frances Weeks and her long-time friend Tracey Rider have been providing hot breakfasts to those people in Wolf Point who are in need, With temperatures way below zero last week, Weeks was also helping supervise the Wolf Point community center where some individuals received temporary shelter from the harsh weather conditions.
“Some of them work, but are homeless,” Weeks explained.
She said the breakfast often consists of oatmeal with raisins or a burrito and coffee.
“And a little bit of the word from the Lord,” Weeks added. “Warm them from the inside out, Tracey says.”
They usually feed about 30 individuals. Weeks explains that she knows what houses to stop at that are need of the meals.
Weeks and Rider have been paying for most of their meals themselves, but they have recently received donations and contributions from several others. Weeks said the Lustre women have been some of the program’s biggest supporter. People are being accepted if you stop by the community center.
As organizers seek consistent funding for the group, they have named the project “A Mother’s Love.” The project’s goal is “providing the homeless with a safe warm place to sleep out of the weather elements, hot food, day center with internet access and list of local resources and contact people to help them with their addictions, mental health and personal finances.”
“Since my mother passed away, I got a calling from God to help,” Weeks said. She said that she has also helped the individuals fill out applications fro housing and energy assistance. She has heard from officials that the homeless shelter, located near the jail, will open this week. “The reason I care so much is I know how it feels when you love someone and you want to help them, but you can’t,” Weeks said.
