Date and Time
Friday Feb 19, 2021 Saturday Feb 20, 2021
Location
RiverPlex Recreation and Wellness Center, 600 NE Water Street, Peoria, IL 61603
Or virtually from your home or any location you choose
Fees/Admission
No charge to register, however, participants are asked to try to raise $1000 for the “privilege” of spending the night.
Contact Information
For more information, contact Kristen Berchtold at 309/222-2751
Send Email
Description
On any night in our community, hundreds of men, women and children do not spend the night in their own homes. They stay with friends and relatives, in shelters, abandoned buildings, tents and cars. Many sleep outside - seeking whatever shelter they can find.
The pandemic has been devastating for those without homes. Food insecurity has become a major issue and the public buildings many people relied on for warmth and to maintain their personal hygiene are no longer accessible.
Gimme Shelter will be held on the evening of February 19, 2021. Community members raise funds for the “privilege” of spending the night, from 6:00 pm in the evening until 6:00 am the next morning, outside in a cardboard box or in their car. For those comfortable attending in person, a socially distanced event will be held at the RiverPlex. For those who aren’t, a virtual option will enable participants to join in from their home or any other location they choose. The event will also feature activities on the topic of homelessness, the challenge it poses for our society, and the solutions. Gimme Shelter will bring our community together, raise awareness of the plight of those with nowhere to call home, and provide a powerful opportunity to learn more about homelessness. Participants will experience a bit of what it might be like to be outside, overnight, in the Central Illinois cold.
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