Home Sweet Nowhere: The Frozen & Forgotten in Our Community

As Baltimore’s temperatures plummet this winter, many people turn their minds to winterizing their homes, cranking up the heat and doing everything possible to stay warm. But those Marylanders experiencing homelessness or poverty may instead ponder how to just make it through the night. It’s a struggle even faced by hundreds of people in Harford County, and a battle that was lost by one homeless couple who perished in their fight to stay warm in Aberdeen on January 20.

To raise awareness to this issue, the Sharing Hope Foundation of Harford County, in conjunction with The June DeLancey Beward Foundation, will host the “Home Sweet Nowhere: Frozen and Forgotten in Our Community” fundraiser in the month of February. During this event, members from both foundations will camp outside in cardboard boxes for one full weekend to showcase the plight of citizens who have no place to call home during these harsh months.

“In the tumultuous economic times that we are facing, unemployment and homelessness are becoming larger issues for both our nation and for the state of Maryland. The face of poverty has changed to reflect families and children who have lost everything – their source of income, their home, and their hope.” said Anne Marie Vomero-Battis, founder and executive director of Sharing Hope. “Through this event, we want to let these families know that they are not alone and have not been forgotten. It is our responsibility as a community to help give a hand up and lead our fallen neighbors toward hopefulness and self-sufficiency.”

This event will take place February 10-12 at two different locations: the Mount Zion United Methodist Church, located at 1645 E. Churchville Road in Bel Air, and the Joppa-Magnolia Fire Company, located at 1403 Old Mountain Road South in Joppa. Members of the community who attend the event will be able to talk to community leaders who are working furiously to help those in need; get information about resources available for neighbors in need; make a financial donation to the organizations; or drop off new or gently-used winter wear or non-perishables for the needy.

For more information, please visit www.startsharinghope.org or www.facebook.com/SharingHopeFoundation . If anyone is interested in volunteering for, sponsoring or hosting this event, please contact Sharing Hope at (410)688-3478 or The June DeLancey Beward Foundation at (410)399-1076.

About Sharing Hope Foundation

Sharing Hope provides a voice for our neighbors experiencing hunger and homelessness in our community. We partner with other local organizations to help complete the Circle of Care that is needed for people in crisis that are lacking these basic human needs. Through partnerships and programs, we help them to transition themselves from homeless and hopeless to self-sufficient and hopeful! We help give a hand UP, not a hand out.

About The June DeLancey Beward Foundation

The June DeLancey Beward Foundation serves members of the community by providing opportunities to work, job skills training, and recruitment, as well as other work/life services. The foundation exists to assist those downsized, displaced or with other barriers to employment find the means to become self-sufficient and financially stable.