BRATTLEBORO — On Oct. 8, the hard-working staff and dedicated board members from Morningside Shelter organized and held the first annual Hike for the Homeless event at the base of Mount Wantastiquet. The weather was a gift: sunshine and warmth.
If you've ever been homeless, you would know when weather is a gift and when weather can be miserable, when sleeping or living outside is dire.
Homelessness doesn't just happen during a flood or after a fire; it happens every day in this area.
Morningside Shelter has had a waiting list for longer than three years. Not long ago, we had one family with two adults and two children living at Morningside - and one of the adults was working full time.
A one-income household was the norm back in the 1950s, but now it is impossible for some. This young family was homeless because they could not afford to live in this town.
These are the times in which we live, and Morningside acts as a safety net for those of us facing these circumstances.
We would like to thank the several major sponsors that allowed us to keep our costs at a minimum: TD Bank, Trust Company of Vermont, Lotus Graphics, Hotel Pharmacy, Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, Abatem Exterminating Company, Brown & Roberts, Goodenough Rubbish Removal, GPI Construction, Inc., Ker-Westerlund Funeral Home, the Richards Group, and Richmond Auto Repair.
We also thank the many other sponsors who donated cash, gifts, products, and favors: Friends of the Sun, Merrill Gas Co Inc., Newton Business, Verde, Perfect Image Screen Printing, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Leader Distribution Systems, Green Mountain Orchards, Sodexo at the Brattleboro Retreat, Sodexo at World Learning, Grafton Village Cheese Company, Price Chopper, Brattleboro Food Co-op, and Hannaford Supermarket.
We could never have reached our fundraising goals if it weren't for the almost 60 hikers who donated and solicited pledges and for those who dropped cash in the jar on their way up the mountain, who had no idea we were holding such an event. We thank you very much as well.
Feel free to call Morningside Shelter to donate twin sheets, blankets, or food. If you meet the staff, be in awe - they help people every day get back on their feet, get jobs, apply for social services, work with budgeting, social skills, and numerous other life skills to prevent another round of homelessness.