When temperatures are below freezing and wind chills registering -30, it's only a matter of minutes before a person's skin starts to freeze.
So what does a person do to stay warm when they live on the streets? Sioux Falls resident Jackie Griep tells us how she makes it through a day.
"It brings back memories of my childhood when it was cold and there was always a bowl of hot soup," Griep said.
Griep reminisces over a bowl of hot soup and a sandwich at the Good Shepherd Center in Sioux Falls. Wednesday's hot meal is especially appreciated because she's between jobs and living on the streets.
"I get really cold and it’s really cold so I just wait for a place so I can walk into and warm up," Griep said.
The Good Shepherd Center opens at 6:30 a.m. and the number of people in the center typically peaks over the lunch hour.
"If it wasn't for our volunteers, we would not be able to serve the meals that we serve. Financially, the Good Shepherd Center could not afford to provide a meal all of the time," Good Shepherd Center executive director Maria Krell said.
Once Griep has a warm bite to eat and gets her laundry done, the next place she likes to go to stay out of the cold is across the street to the library where she does some reading and looks for jobs.
Griep says it's hard to stay busy during the winter months when you live on the streets because there are so few places to go where you can stay warm.
"There are places that will help, but there are places that will turn you away depending on your history with them. There are, as far as I'm concerned, there are too many homeless people," Griep said.
Griep sometimes rides the bus around town to stay warm and fill large gaps of time during these cold days.
Now, in addition to shelter and a lunch, the Good Shepherd Center also provides hats and gloves for the homeless during such brutally cold times and right now it is out of gloves for women. So anyone who has a pair or two to donate, the Good Shepherd Center would appreciate them and it does gives them away, free.
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