Salvation Army of Omaha officials anticipate 300 to 400 meals will be served every night during the peak of this year’s Winter Night Watch program.
Winter Night Watch is a mobile canteen program that provides hot meals and winter clothes to Omaha’s homeless and near-homeless, five nights a week. This is the 25th year of the program.
Salvation Army of Omaha spokeswoman Susan Eustice says the mobile canteens in downtown and south Omaha began their patrols Monday.
"We had about 50 or 75 folks, I think, the first night, but the word spreads very quickly. And certainly with cold weather coming a lot of people are going to be thinking about where they’re going to get their next meal, or where they can get a warm coat, hat, gloves, or mittens, and that’s what Winter Night Watch is about."
Winter Night Watch runs through the end of February. Last year, more than 16,000 meals were served.