Homeless-a-thon scheduled Nov. 15-16
Please join in to advocate and fund raise at the 2019 Anderson County Homeless-a-thon.
Anderson County youth groups (churches, sports, clubs), nonprofit organizations and civic groups are invited to participate in the Homeless-a-thon, an event in which sponsored participants sleep overnight in makeshift shelters to raise awareness and education in the community, empathy and compassion among participants, and funds for the homeless in Anderson County through Trinity Out-Reach Center of Hope (TORCH), our county’s homeless helping agency.
Hosted by First Baptist Church of Clinton, the Homeless-a-thon will be held in the church parking lot from 10 p.m. - 7 a.m. Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16.
More information about TORCH can be found online at oakridgetorch.org.
Participants are needed as well as people willing to sponsor them. Businesses can also donate, and a sign will be displayed in show of their support. Volunteers are needed to work the event in half-night or whole-night shifts.
Those homeless in Anderson County include children, youth, elderly, single women (and pregnant women), single men, families, veterans, disabled and people working full-time jobs.
In 2018, 260 homeless households were identified, composed of 343 adults, 183 children, and 19 veterans.
Helping agencies identify homelessness as one of the top three issues (along with transportation and mental health) in Anderson County; funds are usually only sufficient to help half of those applying.
To get more information or to register a team, contact the host site by calling First Baptist Church of Clinton at 457-9353, or email Amanda Taylor (missions director) at amanda@fbclinton.org, or Jason Taylor (youth minister) at jason@fbclinton.org.
Upon registration, teams will receive a packet of information, including brochures, guidelines, a leader’s guide, sponsorship and permission forms, access to an Anderson County homelessness awareness video, and small-group discussion questions for preparation and debriefing.