FLORENCE, Ky. — Anthony Eggleston yanks on a red spigot, splashing water in his face and all over his shirt. Then, he takes a drink.
Eggleston turns off the water and smiles. It’s almost rush hour, and cars fly by Main Street.
“Look at everybody check us out. They think we’re nuts,” Eggleston said. “But if they were out here with no air conditioning, they’d probably do the same thing.”
WATCH: We speak to people experiencing homelessness about this heat wave
I meet Eggleston across the street at Mary Rose Mission, a soup kitchen that serves free meals every day of the year — even on the Fourth of July. The kitchen opens at 4 p.m.
But people start lining up hours before that.
During this dangerous heat wave, it’s one of the only places in Boone County that will remain open this holiday weekend. Each day, volunteers start making food before noon. Michele Draughn, the general manager, filled up a large Gatorade jug outside with water long before that.
I ask Draughn if she thinks the community is doing enough to help people experiencing homelessness escape the heat. She acknowledges housing is an issue, but doesn’t really answer the question. When I ask Eggleston, he flatly says "no."
“So this place is most important,” Eggleston said. "If you didn’t have a place like this, you’d overheat, and you’d probably starve to death.”
Inside, it’s loud. Because there’s prayer. There’s laughter. There are seconds.
“Best place in the world,” said Jeanne Howard, a volunteer who runs the dining room. “It’s like ‘Cheers’ without the beer.”
As Howard makes her rounds, serving food and refilling drinks, someone asks for a hug. When she gives it to him, another person asks.
Howard smiles and gives it to him.
“A lot of these people don’t get a smile the whole day,” Howard said. “It's like family."
Here are some places in Northern Kentucky open as cooling centers:
Boone County libraries will be closed this weekend. RC Durr YMCA will open as a cooling center Friday from 4:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fresh Start Shower Ministry will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Mary Rose Mission gives out free meals from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
In Kenton County, all public libraries will open as cooling centers during normal business hours on Friday and Saturday. The Independence city building will be open Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as a cooling center.
Piner-Fiskburg Fire Protection District will be open both days as well.
