ORLANDO, Fla. — Homeless shelters across Central Florida are working overtime to make sure those trying to escape the cold have a place to go to stay warm.

With shelters being at capacity, one local homeless shelter had another idea in mind.

A last-minute decision turned into an outpouring response from the community, with residents dropping off their own donations one at a time.

“For every 48 cents, I can buy a blanket that looks like this. It’s an emergency Mylar blanket,” said Eric Gray, Executive Director for the Christian Service Center.

With cold temperatures in Central Florida this weekend, Gray says those who are experiencing homelessness have limited options to stay warm.

“The shelters will open up when the temperature drops below 40 degrees for four or more hours, but the shelters are full,” said Gray.

Gray said no shelter blankets were available, as people that visited the center Friday night requested one.

That’s when Gray sprang into action, making a video asking the community for their help. Saturday morning, over 200 blankets were handed out one by one.

Gray says with a staff of 29 people, he decided to take on today’s job by himself. He says that’s what it’s all about, stepping in as a leader to meet the needs in the community.

“I had staff that were willing to come out today and I was like, no, this is a one-person job, it’s not a big deal,” he said.

The Christian Service Center has been around for 53 years. It’s this type of work, and day like today, that keeps Gray going.

“So I’m like on top of the world being here. This is the dream come true for people to do this type of work. It just doesn’t get any better than this,” he said.

Gray says cold temperatures are one of the several hardships those experiencing homeless go through. He says that’s why he does his best to be there as a helping hand.

The service center has placed an additional order of 400 blankets, which will arrive on Sunday.