PETERSBURG, Va. – Locals scrambled to fill the void left when the Petersburg Salvation Army closed at the end of December, especially as temperatures remained dangerously low.
First Baptist Church on west Washington Street set up a cold weather shelter to provide warmth and food to the less fortunate.
The temporary shelter will be open for at least the next three months.
A representative with the Salvation Army said that money previously raised by citizens to keep their shelter open will now be given to the church to help with the temporary shelter.
The Salvation Army decided that after 20 years of operation, Dec.31 will be the men's shelters last day. The cost of operating the shelter doesn't even come close to what the area Salvation Army takes in from donations, leadership said.
