With record low temperatures hitting the Midwest this week, warming centers are open in communities across Michigan. But in smaller towns, businesses are stepping up to provide a place to escape the cold.
The city of Owosso is about 30 miles northeast of Lansing.
And the place to grab some soup and a sandwich is the O-Town Café. The café is usually only open from 8am to 3pm.
But owner Steven Cohen says they decided to stay open 24 hours a day this week because there was nowhere else in town where the city’s homeless and people without heat in their homes could go.
Cohen says it’s worth it.
“It’s worth the time. It’s worth the energy,” says Cohen. “It’s worth it because if it motivates one person to say ‘hey, we need to do something’…we’ve done our job.”
Cohen is grateful for the people who’ve volunteered to staff the café overnight and the local businesses that have donated food and warm clothing for Owosso’s homeless.
