TOPEKA (KSNT) - Multiple organizations are working together to provide warmth and shelter to those in need in preparation for this weekend's winter storm.
Scouts from the Jayhawk Area Council provided cots for three designated warming stations around Topeka including Let's Help, Fellowship Hi-Crest and True Vine Baptist Church. The scouts partnered with United Way of Kaw Valley to distribute the cots.
"We use these cots for our summer camp program, but we use them for the summer," Wayne Pancoast, scouting executive for the Jayhawk Council, said. "During the wintertime they're just sitting in storage so what better way to put them to use than to help out Topeka."
It's not just the scouts who are helping Topekans. Sunflower Pet Playcare and Spa is offering space to house dogs over the weekend.
"Folks on the streets love their pets and they take being a pet owner very seriously," Team Lead for Topeka Street Dog Coalition, Matthew Baldwin, said. "And so by us setting up this warming center for their dogs, it's giving them permission to take care of themselves and be safe during this extreme weather."
The business has been taking in various donations to help make their shelter possible.
"We got lots of peanut butter, got some kongs to keep them busy and happy," Baldwin said. "We got lots of kennels for them, and some nice coats for the dogs to wear. Leashes and collars too."
Both Sunflower Pet Playcare and Spa and some of the designated warming stations across Topeka will start admitting folks and animals on the morning of Jan. 4.
For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
