As temperatures plunged during the region’s deep freeze, a south Fort Worth food mart suddenly turned into a lifeline. Store manager Farris Hussain rushed outside after a customer sounded the alarm about a homeless woman known as Bobbi lying in the cold. Hussain lifted her from the ground and carried her inside to warm up, a split-second decision that likely kept a winter emergency from turning into a fatality.
Security video of the rescue captured the tense moment. According to CBS News, a regular customer who recognized Bobbi ran into the store for help, and Hussain found her stiff from the cold as he brought her indoors. After the staff worked to warm her up, emergency crews arrived, and medics took over once she was stable. The clip is a stark reminder that quick action from neighbors and frontline workers can be the difference between life and death when the mercury crashes.
Where to find warmth during the freeze
The city operates a cold-weather overflow shelter program that activates extra beds when conditions hit specific triggers. Per the City of Fort Worth, residents can dial 311 and press 9 to get up-to-date details on shelters. The official guidance spells out when the overflow system switches on: 40 degrees in wet conditions, below 35 in dry conditions, or a wind chill under 32 for three or more consecutive hours. When those thresholds are met, people are directed to Union Gospel Mission, Presbyterian Night Shelter, or The Salvation Army Mabee Center if beds are available. The entire setup is designed to move people inside before the cold turns life-threatening.
Volunteers and outreach teams on the ground
Community groups and outreach teams were already out in the field ahead of the storm, checking on people living outside and tracking where they were staying. Volunteers handed out beanies and hand warmers, as KERA News reported on Friday. The annual Point-in-Time census, which counts people experiencing homelessness, landed in the same week, and agencies used that groundwork to steer people toward shelter and services. Local advocates say pairing formal shelter activations with on-the-ground volunteer outreach can be exactly what keeps a frigid night from turning tragic.
Per the City of Fort Worth, anyone who sees someone exposed to dangerously low temperatures is urged to call 311 and press 9, or dial or text 211, to connect with outreach and shelter services. The city’s Homeless Strategies office also lists True Worth Place as an overflow intake location when primary shelters are full. Outreach teams and volunteers continue to coordinate pickups and referrals with emergency responders, and store staff and neighbors who speak up, like the regular who flagged down Hussain, remain a crucial line of defense against the cold.
Hussain’s fast response in that parking lot underscores a simple point: city systems matter, but so do the people who notice when someone is in trouble and decide not to walk past. As shelters and volunteers mobilize for subfreezing nights, officials are urging Fort Worth residents to keep an eye out for anyone still sleeping outside and to make that call that could save a life.
