NEWPORT, Tenn. (WATE) — The cold weather is settling in to many areas of East Tennessee as snow is forecasted for our area . The First United Methodist Church in Newport opened its doors to those who are in need after the city asked them to.
“We were so glad to be asked by the City of Newport,” Rev. Marta Cogburn said. “We’ve used this for a distribution point during the Helene disaster and many other things. We thought it’s our gift back to the community.”
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The operation is being fully run on donations and community collaboration. Multiple groups including the City of Newport, First United Methodist Church, the Cocke County Cradle to Career Coalition (C5) as well as others are helping support the effort.
“It’s very easy to kind of turn off what we don’t like to see about the world,” C5 director Jennifer Ellison said. “Unfortunately, following the devastation with the hurricane and just everyday challenges of life, a lot of folks are in a position where they don’t have a stable place to stay. I think it’s up to us as a community to take care of them.”
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Ellison added, it’s important to make sure those who have very little of are struggling get all the help they can…