LUBBOCK, Texas – When most people in the Hub City have a warm place to stay on snowy days like Tuesday’s, Shawna Pegarsch had to spend hers mostly outside.

“I’m cold, I want to go home, and I’m hurting,” Pegarsch said. “Then, this woman comes up, and says hey, would you like a cup of coffee?”

That woman was Rockey Andrade whose group spent Tuesday driving around town, lending a much-needed hand.

“We’re out here just sharing some love, and some coffee with the homeless or with really just anybody walking anybody that we see,” Andrade said. “We’ve been out here since 9:00 a.m. giving out hot coffee, hugs, love, prayer, and coats, dry coats, because most of them, their coats are soaking wet right now.”

One of the 40 people they came across was Pegarsch who said that cup of coffee meant so much more.

“It’s a blessing,” Pegarsch said. “Things have been really rough, and I know it’s only coffee, but they just gave me a million dollars. Not in cash, but a million dollars in the heart and in the soul.”

While Andrade and her group could’ve easily spent Tuesday inside, they said their mission is simple.

“Just showing people love, showing people that they’re cared for,” said Priscilla Lozano. “Some people just need a little bit of affection just to keep them going. You never know if they’re gonna go somewhere else and try to do something bad. Maybe they need that little bit of hope.”

The team of five continued handing out winter gear and coffee until they ran out around 7:00 p.m. 

“They have feelings, and they want to be loved, or just said hi to or looked at and smiled at,” Andrade said. “It’s my heart just to love people right where they’re at with no judgment.”

If you would like to donate cold weather supplies for their work, you can drop off items at Parkway Sommerville Center (405 N. MLK Jr. Blvd.). For more information, visit the Guadalupe-Parkway Sommerville Centers website.