Area residents on Tuesday awoke to a blanket of snow. For many, the winter wonderland was a pretty sight, but for those who are homeless such conditions can be life-threatening.
Especially those who might not have been able to find a warm place to spend the night.
According to the National Weather Service, the forecast for Winchester calls for temperatures at or below freezing every day until Monday.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be homeless in the dead of winter, you’ll soon have the opportunity to find out.
The occasion is the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY), which is not a meteorological prediction but an annual fundraising and awareness walk to be held nationwide on Feb. 24.
Locally, Coldest Night of the Year is hosted by Winchester Area Temporary Transitional Shelter (WATTS), a nonprofit organization that provides area residents experiencing homelessness with overnight shelter during cold weather, a daytime center during cold/hot weather, and support programs to help clients regain their independence and find housing year-round.
“Winchester was second in the nation last year, and we’re hoping to be first in the nation this year,” WATTS Executive Director Robyn Miller said about the 400-plus participants in last year’s Coldest Night of the Year walk, when the only locality in the United States with more walkers was Fredericksburg. “Our goal is to have over 700 walkers.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, 134 people had signed up to participate in Winchester’s walk. If you want to help boost that number, Miller said you can register for free at watts-homelessshelter.org and choose to walk a 2-kilometer or 5-kilometer route. You and your friends, family and/or coworkers can create a team, but if you’re going it alone, you’ll be welcome to join the Walkers for WATTS squad.
After signing up, participants are encouraged to find sponsors who will make a donation in the amount of their choice in exchange for the walker completing his or her selected route. Some nationwide employers including Costco, Walmart, the Home Depot and Starbucks all have matching donations available to any of their employees who walk and fundraise. (To find out if your company offers matching funds, visit cnoy.com/matchingfunds.)
While this year’s walk is still more than a month away, Miller encourages anyone interested to sign up as soon as possible so participants will have more time to find sponsors. All proceeds from the walk will benefit the programs and services offered by WATTS.
Miller said both the 2K and 5K routes pass through the Loudoun Street Mall in downtown Winchester and a bus stop where WATTS clients are picked up and driven to an overnight shelter.
“We walked past a lot of people experiencing homelessness [last year], and when they [walk participants] realized that’s who they were helping …,” Miller said, her voice fading as she began to cry. “We want those people experiencing homelessness to know that we really do care and we’re walking around Winchester to support them.”
Personnel from Rouss Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company will lead off the walk, which Miller emphasizes is not a race so participants don’t need to hit the gym before helping the homeless.
“It’s a wonderful time,” Miller said.
Both routes start and end at Braddock Street United Methodist Church, 115 Wolfe St., where walkers will be served a simple meal of soup, bread and a beverage afterwards. The point, Miller said, is to replicate the experience of a homeless person whose only sustenance comes from a soup kitchen serving free food.
The Coldest Night of the Year walk is open to people of all ages, but children 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Due to insurance regulations, pets are not allowed to join the walk unless they are trained service animals.
Miller said everyone who comes out for Winchester’s walk on a cold February evening will leave with appreciation and sympathy for their neighbors who are homeless.
“You’ll be walking around in their [figurative] shoes, in the cold, having to move all the time,” she said.
To learn more about WATTS and the Winchester walk on Feb. 24, visit watts-homelessshelter.org. Information about the national Coldest Night of the Year fundraising and awareness event is available at cnoy.com/winchester.
Via Winchester Star
