MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For Memphians and Mid-Southerners without a place to stay warm, these temperatures are even more brutal and dangerous.

So people in Orange Mound decided to do something about it by opening their doors to bring in their neighbors in from the cold.

On one of the coldest days in Memphis, a simple gesture in Orange Mound will perhaps warm the heart of a community and the soul of people like Tyrone Baugh seeking shelter from the bitter temperatures.

“This center is uncomparable to than any other center I’ve been to. They give you a blanket, it’s warm, and you get food,” Baugh said.

The food, the blanket and, more important, the center Baugh is talking about is a building located at 2363 Park Avenue.

“People don’t even have power and a lot of people’s pride is too high to ask for help because they feel like people will talk about them,” Baugh said.

This week the building has been transformed into a pop-up warming center.

“See a blessing came last night when they called  me and said come down here to the warming spot,” Ron, a guest, said.

It’s the brainchild of Britney Thornton, the founder of JUICE Orange Mound, a non-profit with a mission to empower the community.

“For us we recently acquired a 3,000 square foot building that we currently aren’t using and saw the inclement weather and it just made sense for us to step up and open up the space,” Thornton said.

Thornton and others took to social media to spread the word about the pop up center and the community responded with donations.

“We’re calling this the Marriott Warming Center in Orange Mound, like we’re rolling out a luxury warming center experience. It’s just warm. Most people come in and they know somebody,” Thornton said.

As dangerously cold temperatures continue, Tyrone Baugh says he is thankful for the warming center.

The Orange Mound pop-up warming center on Park Avenue will be open again Monday tonight.
The hours are from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m.