River City Rescue Mission (RCRM) is reaching out to the public in hopes of help in stocking an emergency shelter slated to open once temperatures in Vicksburg drop below freezing.

RCRM board member Donna Ingram said Thursday that weather is hard to predict, so the Mission is trying to be proactive in its preparation so that when the time comes, it is as ready as it can be for a crowd.

Ingram said a projected week’s worth of temperatures below the freezing mark prompted RCRM board members and Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace to put a plan into place for anyone needing shelter from the cold.

Despite RCRM primarily sheltering males, Ingram said the facilities have been altered to also accommodate women and children.

“River City is a men’s shelter, but we really don’t have a functioning women’s shelter in Vicksburg,” Ingram said. “But we think our kitchen and church could be converted into quarters for women and children. We will have to segregate them out, but when this weather hits, we have been asked to open our doors to anyone and everyone who needs shelter.”.

In preparation for the influx of people, Ingram said RCRM is reaching out to the public to help stock supplies such as cots, air mattresses, blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, and any other warm clothing.

“Our thrift store has a few things that we can use, but we need as much as we can to help these people,” Ingram said, adding with the extra people will also come the need for extra food.

“We feed the masses, not just the men,” she said. “Sometimes we do three meals a day, plus we cook and deliver for shut-ins, so we are always in need of extra food and money.”

Ingram said anyone wishing to make a donation of food, supplies, or money, may reach out through the RCRM website, www.rivercityrescuemission.org, or its Facebook page. Checks or physical donations may be mailed to, or dropped off at, 3705 Washington Street.

“Vicksburg is truly a giving community, so you just put out a call to action and it usually gets answered,” Ingram said.