ANDERSON — It was about 15 degrees and getting colder when the Christian Center opened its shelter for dinner a few minutes before the appointed hour on New Year’s Day.
“We let them in a little early because of the cold so they wouldn’t have to stand out there and freeze to death,” said kitchen worker Ron Sorrell as more than 50 men, women and children lined up inside for a hot meal.
With temperatures expected to fall into the single digits overnight Friday and in coming nights, the shelter was nearing capacity. Sorrell said 52 people stayed overnight in the shelter on New Year’s Eve. The shelter can sleep 60 people.
For those who spent New Year’s Eve at the Christian Center, there was a simple celebration: gathering around the television for bowl games, breaking out board games and sharing pizza that residents were able to provide. They stayed up to watch the Times Square ball drop on TV.
“We didn’t have a lot,” Sorrell said, “but we had enough to get by.”
Getting by on New Year’s Day was the order of business for those who partook of a dinner of salad, green beans and macaroni and cheese with ham. Three diners said the center fed them spiritually as well, and gave them hope for a better year ahead.
“There’s a bunch of good guys here trying to find themselves,” Tim Jones said.
“And they need help,” Matthew Stahl interjected. “They’ve fallen on hard times, and there’s a lack of jobs in Anderson.”
“Or they’re just hungry or too cold,” Dwayne Norton said. “They take reasonably good care of us here. I’m grateful for it.”
Those having New Year’s dinner at the shelter said they were fortunate to have someplace to turn to when they found themselves in need. There are few places in Madison County that open their doors to homeless people, and emergency warming shelters typically don’t open until weather conditions become regarded as dangerously cold.
Jones expressed a simple desire for himself in the new year.
“All I want is a job,” he said.
Contact Dave Stafford: 648-4250, dave.stafford@heraldbulletin.com.
---------
Christian Center
What: A shelter for the homeless.
Where: 625 Main St., Anderson.
Contact: 649-4264
Home News (ADS ONLY)
Related Photos
-
Don Knight
-
Don Knight
Discussion
January 1, 2010
Christian Center near capacity as temps dip
- Home News (ADS ONLY)
-
-
Photo gallery: AU vs Mount Saint Joseph Baseball
Photos from the baseball double header and senior night for Anderson University and Mount Saint Joseph on 5/7/10.
-
Comedian Harland Williams coming to Paramount
LOS ANGELES — Canadian Harland Williams was enjoying winter in Southern California. “It’s beautiful out,” said Williams, 47, familiar from roles in films like “Dumb & Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary.” “A bit cold, but is 65 cold? I’ll take this cold any day, thank you.” Williams, whose Indiana performances have been exclusive to Crackers in Broad Ripple, will take the stage at the Paramount on Friday, April 2.
-
Nancy Wood back in Anderson, with ASO
ANDERSON — Nancy Wood stared into the glass vase, full of clear water, with the bare roots of a plant dangling down into it.
-
Auction deal for buyers, not for owners
ANDERSON — An auction held Saturday at a former, popular cabinet manufacturer resulted in deals for local woodwork hobbyists and businesses, but earned less than the new owners hoped for.
-
Ann Duran on the air in Madison County
DALEVILLE — As a child, radio personality Ann Duran remembers her father calling her his mini-Barbara Walters.
-
Weights, measures officials protect consumers
ANDERSON — Whether consumers are filling up their cars’ gas tanks, buying a gallon of milk or drying clothes at a laundromat, one man in Anderson makes sure they always get their money’s worth.
-
AHS rocking to 'Schoolhouse Rock Live!'
ANDERSON, Ind. — With the end of the school year quickly approaching, Anderson High School Performing Arts students are springing into a favorite pastime. With the help of their director of six years, Tiffany Jackson, the group of 12 is putting on a musical, “Schoolhouse Rock Live!”
-
Anderson native to lead county ghost tour
ANDERSON — Growing up in Madison County, Nicole Kobrowski liked to visit some of the area’s creepier places, such as Moss Island Road just west of the city.
-
Sidewalk Prophets looking for a Dove
Sidewalk Prophets know how to please a crowd when they sing Christian pop at concerts across the nation.
Now, they’d like fans to reciprocate to help the band win a Dove Award. -
At Home: Project a bonding experience
PENDLETON — When a four-year project goes on for seven years, the result is often a strained marriage.
- More Home News (ADS ONLY) Headlines
-
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
