Three friends bound together by their passion for the homeless. They’ve labeled themselves the arctic freeze ladies and they are really making a difference for the homeless population in Oklahoma City.
“Last winter when the ice storm came in, I had a woman with her three children living in a tent, that was buried in ice,” said Jodi Berge with the ministry On Bended Knee.
That sight was too much for Delisa Jones, Jessica Laster and Jodi Berge to handle.
The three ladies have been helping the homeless for years, but that sight took things to another level.
“We created a fundraiser on Facebook and just started reaching out to our friends, our family and our followers, you know seeing if anyone wanted to sponsor somebody a night in a hotel just to get them out of the cold,” said Jessica Laster with Sandwiches With Love.
Donte is homeless and is really appreciative for the hotel room for him and his daughter.
“I have woken up to people dead next to me, because of this winter weather before, you know what I’m saying. People have actually frozen to death,” said Donte.
With this week’s arctic blast, the group has about 60 hotel rooms currently rented out to homeless people.
“In those rooms there’s going to be at least two to three people with the exception of a few of the rooms that have elderlies in them, they’re in there with themselves and their pet,” said Delisa Jones with Second Chance Thrift Store.
With so many shelters open for the homeless, the ladies are frequently asked, why they pay for hotel rooms?
The ladies have great appreciation for the shelters and recognize the need for what they do, however they aren’t for everyone.
“Not everybody can go to the shelter, some people have animals, some people have family and mental health issues, the shelters are not always safe for everyone,” said Laster.
The ladies also add a few extras during the hotel stay.
“We make sure that they have enough food for the time of their stay there, we make sure they have hygiene,” said Jones.
As the homeless transition out of the hotels, most of them will return to nothing.
“We like to give them a three-person tent, a zero-degree sleeping bag, socks gloves, emergency blankets, food,” said Laster.
They even supply bus passes and hygiene products. Attempting to provide a few necessities.
“They are, like our friends. And so, I just don’t like people throwing people away, it’s not what it’s about,” said Berge.
Now none of the ladies receive any money for their services. They have raised close to $14,000.
They can be reached through their Facebook pages
https://www.facebook.com/delisasecondchances, https://www.facebook.com/sandwicheswithlove, https://www.facebook.com/jodi.berge.7
