On Thursday, BridgeTown Inc. held their first Night Strike of 2013.
Night Strike is a volunteer-led event to help people experiencing homelessness. Each Thursday, volunteers gather on Naito parkway under the Burnside Bridge to provide a free dinner for our community’s most vulnerable. Volunteers also help out with foot washing, haircuts, shaves, and provide portable showers.
Sleeping bags, warm clothes, and hygiene products are also passed out to those in need.
Not only does Night Strike provide some essential basic necessities, it also provides a wonderful human connection. One guest, Nate, said that “Night Strike is humanizing…this place helps remind you it’s not all that bad.”
From 2011’s Homeless Street and Shelter Count, we know that on any night, there are about 2,700 people sleeping outside or in emergency shelters, and nearly 2,000 more are living in transitional housing after being homeless.
With a rising tide of need, and fewer resources each year, we count on partners like Night Strike to make a difference..
To get involved, contact Justin Spahn, BridgeTown’s event director at (503) 664-0653. To learn more about Night Strike, or to find a list of items to donate visit the Night Strike Page on BridgeTown‘s website.
Night Strike
Thursdays 7pm
2nd Avenue & W. Burnside
Night Strike dinner provides hot meal with dignity, for city's homeless
Sara Hotman in The Oregonian
