ODESSA, Texas — Chris Cooper is staying busy during the cold weather.
He's the shelter manager for the Odessa Salvation Army. He takes in anyone who needs to stay warm when the temperatures are freezing or below, and October 30 was what the Salvation Army calls an Emergency Cold Night.
"I mean cause some of 'em get caught unaware." Cooper said. "They don't recognize that it's gonna be colder than they think."
All those people means a lot of laundry. Five to six loads for 54 people who needed help during the hard freeze.
"Most people are grateful that they're happy to have a warm bed to sleep in," Cooper said.
The shelter holds 36 beds and Cooper says while they serve the people who need them, they also serve the extras who come during emergencies. That puts a strain on supplies.
The Salvation Army is looking for twin bedding, pillow cases, heavy duty blankets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, anything you can give to help people with this cold weather.
"On a cold night I'll accept them all night long," Cooper said.
Cots like these line the walls of the shelter for anyone who comes in during an emergency, but with nothing but a pillow, a warm night's sleep is hard to come by.
"I kind of have a motto I'm tryin' to keep 'em alive til Jesus gets a hold of 'em, change their life," Cooper said. "So that's my baseline. Anything above that's really good."
But Cooper's work is cut out for him, more freezing temperatures are in the forecast and that means more people walking through the doors of the Salvation Army, hoping for a warm night's sleep.