Brenda Smith of Bikers for Christ, right, and Kayla Wetzel of Lavalette carry blankets for donation at the Huntington City Mission on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014.
By Dave Lavender
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — When Missy Browning saw the severity of temperatures forecast to hit the Tri-State this week, she knew she had to act.
Browning, who volunteers with Huntington City Mission, Harmony House and on medical missions, put out an urgent plea to her 1,600 Facebook friends to donate items to keep Huntington’s homeless warm.
People heard and responded.
Sunday afternoon, volunteers at City Mission were doling out stacks of blankets, quilts, jackets, quilt-lined shirts, thermal socks, and gloves first to folks living outdoors, and then to others who were packing into the Mission.
“Once you become aware of the need I’ve found most people want to help but don’t know how or when or where,” Browning said. “This just made an opportunity for people. We all have so much to share.”
Amazingly, the multiple tables of mostly new and slightly used winter wear was all collected over a day-and-a-half after Browning, who works at Marshall Psychiatry, put out the call on Facebook…