- Temperatures in Manitowoc will be in the single digits until Thursday. Warming Shelters are opening around the area to keep those in need out of the cold.
- The Manitowoc Warming Shelter is ran by Pastor Matthew Sauer. He says it is rewarding to help out where he can.
- John Kraemer used to deal with the conditions when he was homeless. He says the shelter not only provided him safety, but also helped him get back on his feet.
When temps get this old it becomes dangerous, even deadly outside. At the Manitowoc Warming Shelter, the volunteers and directors are looking to beat the freeze.
John Kraemer has dealt with homelessness in bad weather.
"A lot of it was improvising,” he said of the experience. “Find a store that had the heater vents when you walked in the door."
But then John found a shelter, much like the Manitowoc Warming Shelter run by Pastor Matthew Sauer.
"It's simply that we are saving lives so that they aren't freezing,” said Sauer.
A duty that Sauer is honored to have.
"We're just caring for each other and that's perhaps the most awesome thing that we can do,” He said. “So, yeah, I feel good about that."
With temperatures expected to stay in the single digits until Thursday, shelters like this one are critical in keeping people safe.
"It's just a warm bed and a hot meal and that's just one of the things I needed,” said Kraemer.
Pastor Sauer says that he hopes to see the warming shelter expand to full-time that can house 24 people at any moment. As for John, he says he's currently living with some friends hoping to get a house or apartment soon.
