ARANSAS COUNTY, Texas — Fulton Community Church is one of the only warming centers in Aransas County, and with temperatures below freezing, a warm place and food go a long way.
"Tuesday night, we'll stay here, and if we can stay another night, we'll stay here, but if it's dry, we'll be alright,” Aaron Jansen said.
Jansen and his four-legged companion named Elvis have been hitchhiking through Texas for 3 months. From Rockport, they'll be walking to Michigan.
"This is why we came to Texas just to get away from this weather. I did winter in North Carolina last year, and it did get down to 5 degrees a couple of times, and I never want to do that again,” Jansen said.
The artic blast came as a surprise to Aaron and Elvis.
"I said, dang, we're running out of money, and it's going to be really cold for two days, and I don't know how we'll eat food or stay warm,” Jansen said.
Those are the concerns of not just one person but many in Aransas County.
That's why Fulton Community Church stepped in to help.
"We've seen a big rise of people needing assistance besides just our shelter we have a food pantry that's open to anyone in the community if they need food,” Fulton Community Church representative, Billie Miller said.
It's the little things that make it easier when it gets rough.
"We have places people can sleep, we have jackets that people have donated which they can just pick up if they want,” Miller said.
The Fulton Community Church warming center will be open until Wednesday morning. There’s transportation available.
Call 361-688-3158. Press 2 for transportation.
