PETERSBURG, Va. β Petersburg's 24-hour comfort station received a massive food donation Thursday as the city braces for another winter storm while still dealing with icy conditions from the last one.
Feed More donated 485 pounds of food and water to the Petersburg Area Transit station, which has been serving as a warming center for people experiencing homelessness during the recent severe weather.
"Man, it was wonderful because I haven't ate for days, so that was real wonderful," said Kelvin, who has been sleeping outside.
The donation included fresh fruit, canned goods, grain bars, red beans and rice, vegetable soup, chicken and rice soup, and cases of mac and cheese, according to Petersburg Area Transit Director Darius Mason.
"We have microwaves, we warm up the chicken and rice soup for them and put in like little styrofoam bowls with spoons so they can eat," Mason said.
WATCH: Petersburg comfort station receives major food donation as city prepares for next winter storm
Since CBS 6 first reported on the comfort station's 24-hour operations, additional donations have poured in from various organizations, including gloves, socks, blankets, pizza, fried chicken and other prepared meals.
Petersburg Area Transit buses returned to the streets for the first time in nearly a week on Thursday, though they must stick to main roads as many secondary and neighborhood streets remain covered in ice.
The comfort station consistently serves five to 10 people overnight and about 16 during the day, Mason said. Those staying overnight have been respectful of the facility, cleaning up after themselves despite no janitorial staff being present at night.
For people like Kelvin, the warmth and food are life-saving during the dangerous cold.
"It's real cold out there, Wayne. It's so cold out there you'll freeze like this soda right here," Kelvin said, holding up a frozen drink. "This soda and I have been outside all night and it's frozen, so this is how you'd be if you were outside, just ice."
Closings | Interactive Radar | Weather Alerts
iPhone News App | Android News App
iPhone Weather App | Android Weather App
Depend on the CBS 6 Weather Authority to keep you ahead of the storm. Watch CBS 6 News and stay with WTVR.com for complete coverage of this winter blast.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
π²: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
