Today was a long day of volunteering for one of the partner
organizations that the LGBT Center has ties to, Crisis Assistance Ministries. John
Wakefield, the Coordinator of Volunteers, explained that there are
approximately 7,000 homeless people in Charlotte, but of those, 3,000 are
children. CAM serves these individuals and others by offering a store full of
free merchandise and financial assistance. At the store, a person is allowed to
shop once every two months, and can take a varying number of items of clothing
based on recent donation quotas. Additionally, Crisis is able to support many
clients financially. For instance, if someone is unable to pay an important
bill on time, Crisis is often able to step in and either negotiate with the
company, landlord, etc., or write a check for the difference in the bill. On
average, Crisis donates $10.5 million every year to directly support these
individuals.
Leah and Ashley sorting donations at Crisis Assistance Ministries.
It was really fortunate that we were able to serve at Crisis
when we did; one of the volunteers explained that because we are between the
spring semester and full-blown “summer session”, CAM generally sees a lull in
donations and volunteers. We were able to hang up a huge amount of clothes,
screen and sort donations, and divide hangers by type (a feat much easier said
than done).
We were there from approximately 10AM to 4:30PM. Because of
our long day of largely physical service, we decided to stay the night in and
relax a bit. It was decided that we watch Harry Potter 7.2, but other than
that, it was a rather quiet evening.
-Drew Harger
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