"I was glad for the information," said Doug, one of the shelter's guests, of how the group he was with at Crossroads appreciated receiving a phone call from Emmanuel House Director Dotty Perreault inviting them back several hours early.
He and some of the other men had just arrived at Crossroads after visiting Amos House to receive lunch. They were hoping to stay warm for a couple of hours before returning to walk the streets until the diocesan shelter reopened.
As the men sat quietly watching television, Perreault returned to Emmanuel House after picking up some supplies, preparing to hunker down with her staff at the shelter through Sunday.
While the decision to keep the shelter open during the day was a necessary one, given the conditions, it is one that may have ramifications down the line.
"I had to bring on two extra people for weather relief and that will put us over budget," Perreault says as she checks the level of donated supplies sitting on the shelves of an improvised stockroom created from a small office at the former diocesan day care center.
She is concerned that the added impact to her budget due to the storm may force Emmanuel House to close for the spring season days earlier than it had originally planned, leaving the homeless out on the street with no place to sleep at night.
David, 55, said he was thankful for the opportunity to spend the day inside, and out of the harsh weather.
"It's freezing. I just got over pneumonia," he said.
What would he be doing if the shelter had not reopened during the day?
"Probably walking in the city. You can only stay at Crossroads for so long. Just enough to get warm," he said.
"It's kind of tough being out there."
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The early opening prompted Perreault to arrange for an earlier food delivery from the Salvation Army, which brings dinner twice a week and breakfast on Sunday mornings to Emmanuel House.
Around 3 p.m., the truck arrived, and the two Salvation Army staff members, assisted by a couple of guests from Emmanuel House, proceeded to carry the warm pasta and a side dish in.
The delivery of food into the shelter was halted only briefly, when what sounded like five gunshots in the distance pierced the air.
"Were those gunshots?" said Roger Cronin Jr., stopping in his snowy tracks near the front door.
After the brief pause, the delivery continued as Cronin and his colleague, Maureen Gensheimer, continued their mission.
Cronin said that even though the weather conditions for driving were becoming increasingly miserable, and he would have preferred to remain inside at that time, experience has taught him how important it is to honor one's commitment to those in need.