The Sapulpa Elks Lodge has again partnered up with Shoulder 2 Shoulder Ministries to help bring relief from the heat to anyone who might need it as the temperatures soared into the triple digits for several days this week.
The civic group is providing a cool place to rest and get rehydrated, and the ministry is helping any who need food at home by providing them with a box of pantry-style fare, like cereal and canned goods. Gerri Smith, who has been with Shoulder 2 Shoulder since last November, says “we just want to leave people better than we found them.”
She says several families have taken the opportunity to either get food or water, or just to escape the heat. “We had one guy who was early for a job interview, so he hung out a while and got what he needed, then he went on to his interview.”
Both groups were considered by many to be a godsend back in February, as the area underwent record freezing temperatures and the homeless or displaced residents needed a place to stay. A pop-up shelter was constructed in the Elks event center where families and individuals could get food and shelter during those cold Oklahoma days.
Shoulder 2 Shoulder has a number of different ways they serve the community aside from special cases like summer heat and winter cold. Each Tuesday evening, they set up in a parking lot around Sapulpa for what they call “street worship,” where they play music and will also offer food or a meal, and have a clothes closet on hand for those who need it.
“Everything we do is about the opportunity to share the love of Christ,” Smith says. The cooling station lasted until Saturday, July 31st. Weathermen are forecasting a break from the heat this week as a round of storms is expected to make its way through the area.
