The Texas Gulf Coast Red Cross has partnered with the City of Houston and Harris County to open, supply, and staff warming centers/shelters across the Houston metro area. One of these shelters is housed in the Bayland Community Center located at 6400 Bissonnet St, Houston. The shelter, staffed by Red Cross volunteers, received a number of Houstonians seeking refuge from the freezing weather this weekend, as well as visits from local officials from the City of Houston and Harris County. 

As one approaches the doors of  the Bayland Community Center, one is greeted by bilingual signs assuring visitors that all are welcome. Red Cross volunteers receive visitors at the door to register them. A central room is outfitted with beds for residents to spend the night. Here, residents have access to water, food, blankets and extra clothes if need be. Another room is set up as a nursing station where clients receive medical assistance from trained nurses. The main hallway holds chairs where people charge phones, read, or converse while staying out of the cold. 

Among the many visitors to the shelter is Maria Teresa, who agreed to share her story. Maria Teresa lives with a friend, and when they heard that the weather was going to take a turn for the worse, they decided to find a shelter rather than risk staying at home. Their stove is electric, so they worried that if they lost power they would not only be stuck in the cold, but would not have any way to prepare food. Maria explained that she and her friend thought: “ Let’s look for a place to go because we are not going to wait until the last minute when we don’t have electricity and we’re dying from the cold”. So, they brought the bare necessities and set out on foot. Without their own transportation, Maria and her roommate got caught in the rain on their way to the community center. They arrived with their shoes and socks soaking wet. 

Maria Teresa was relieved that at the Bayland Community Center, she had a place to stay and food to eat. To her surprise, the Red Cross team even had fresh socks ready to offer her. She explained that she was impressed because the Red Cross had thought of all the small details–even simple things like socks for its residents. Not only were they prepared, but volunteers were able to attend to the varied needs of so many people. The Red Cross team provided her with extra clothes, and made sure all of her needs were taken care of.

“This work that the Red Cross does is incredible. It’s incredible because they help everyone and they don’t even know them–and they do it in such a professional way”. “These people are like angels here on earth that help those of us in need”. When asked about what she might say to people who were thinking about volunteering with the Red Cross, she said: “If you have doubts, don’t think twice about it. [Working with] the Red Cross is something beautiful, something noble.”


To learn more about how you can support the American Red Cross and its mission of alleviating human suffering, please visit redcross.org .

Story By: Albert Connolly