Ice in the South is no fun, but it gets worse when power lines come down and it stays cold. The ice that hit the South on Saturday, January 24, 2026, impacted my dear friend and coworker, Martha Pennington. Martha has a heart of gold, rescuing animals and taking care of others whenever she hears someone needs help, and she has been without power in her house in West Monroe, LA since Saturday morning.

With all of the downed power lines and hanging tree limbs, she has made the most of it, trying to stay warm with her fireplace and her living room closed off from the rest of the house to try to stay warm. She got news that power won’t be back until at least the 4th. While a friend let her borrow a generator the last few days, the cost to keep it running and the energy it takes is taking its toll. And to top it all off, her truck broke down in the midst of this all. I want to help someone who helps everyone else so that she can be warm and get some rest. Help me help Martha cover the costs of a hotel until her power is restored.