CUMMING — As thousands of Forsyth County residents waited for power service to be restored to their homes or to learn whether school would be canceled again, the community rallied to help those in need of food and warmth.

The realization that some neighborhoods had been without power since Monday came to Jamie Rife, homeless liaison for the Forsyth County school system, when she and other personnel were notified that about 20 families with children needed help.

Their initial concern was for students and their families who are homeless, as there is no permanent shelter in the county for entire families to find recuse.

Many of the nearly 500 homeless students in Forsyth do not live on the streets — residing in a motel or with extended family and friends is considered homeless by federal standards — but warmth was still a concern.

“Many of our mobile home and RV parks did not have electricity,” Rife said. “They do not have gas fireplaces or other sources of alternative heat beyond electricity.”

She said school employees, including social workers and teachers, went door to door in these areas and other electricity-only communities on Tuesday.

“Power lines were down in most of these areas, and many of the families were huddled up trying to keep warm,” Rife said. “We even found one family, with a baby and other small children, sitting in their car to stay warm. Another family had a tree branch that had come down through their ceiling into their bathroom and were being forced to leave the home.”

Wednesday, teachers and staff at Cumming and Midway Elementary schools delivered pizzas to neighborhoods where winter weather woes had not yet been addressed, Rife said.

A central location for anyone without power or whose homes sustained damage from icy trees and power lines was set up through an American Red Cross shelter at Cumming First United Methodist Church.

The church at 770 Canton Highway opened its doors Tuesday, offering beds, blankets and food.

“[Wednesday] morning the school system sent out an automated messenger via email and phone, in both Spanish and English, to the families living in the communities still without power with the information about the shelter in case they were in need,” Rife said. “Over 450 messages went out in hopes of reaching additional families who may still not have power.”

Matthew Akins, director of the Northeast Georgia chapter of the American Red Cross, said the community “has really stepped up” to support the shelter by donating food and supplies.

Neither the church nor the Red Cross had to buy any food, yet tables were laden with bread, snacks, drinks and even some barbecue for dinner.

“It just really helps out so much to give people a warm place to sleep, warm meals, comfort until their power can get back on,” Akins said.

The Red Cross and UMC conducted training starting in July, he said.

Nearly 60 people were staying at the shelter as of Wednesday afternoon, the majority being families with children.

Jeff Ross, senior pastor at the church, said community members even donated diapers and baby wipes after seeing a need for such items posted on social media.

“We have this facility, so we thought we should make it available,” Ross said of a gymnasium-type space they used as the central shelter. “We have more kids than we thought we’d have. It’s mostly families, not a lot of single folks or older couples.”

But everyone is welcome, he said, even if they don’t live in the county.

“We still got casseroles in the freezer,” Ross said. “If this lasts for more than a few days, we’ll probably need some more food.”