Local non-profit organization brings awareness to World Homeless Day with drive thru style give away.
posted by DorMiya Vance | October 25, 2021 | In NewsOctober 10 was a day stamped in Fayetteville history as members of the non-profit organization Community Awareness Alliance came together to help those in need for World Homeless Day.
This event was meant to bring more awareness to the issues of homelessness happening right here in the city of Fayetteville.
Miranda Moore, a volunteer and an affiliate of the Community Awareness Alliance, described the purpose of this event as “trying to give all of the resources we can to our homeless community and to make sure they have the essential items they need. The purpose is to give back to the community.”
As the event began, those who are a part of the homeless communities here in the city came along the drive-thru set up and grabbed a variety of goodies, sanitary items, and clothes they needed to make through the day.
Pandora Herrington, another affiliate and volunteer with the Community Awareness Alliance, spoke with sincerity as she watched those in need gather essentials from the tables.
“I feel for homeless people. There are things that need but can’t get. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s not fair. We have officials that go home every night and live better than anybody out here. They still don’t understand that we have people out here who are less fortunate and have nowhere to go at night. They have nowhere to go,” Ms. Herrington said.
Later, cars arrived on the scene to disburse goods and clothing to the rehabilitation and senior centers where homelessness is at the center of concerns.
Charles Evans, Chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissions, was seen supporting homelessness and spoke on ways to rectify this plague in the city.
“I didn’t know much about homelessness until I became homeless myself in 1994. I learned a lot. These individuals need our help, desperately. That’s my aim and purpose, to make sure we take care of our homeless people,” Chairman Evans said.
The organizer and executive director of Community Awareness Alliance, who goes by Dr. Val, saw it through that everyone grabbed something to help them along their way. Others that volunteered in the event were the ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. from the Fayetteville State University Alumnae Chapter, the CEO of FLEX Records, Ronald Clark, and a plethora of local community members.
As the event continued, Dr. Val and the rest of the volunteers hit the pavement, taking essential items to homeless camps in different corners of Fayetteville.
Chairman Evans expressed much gratitude and enthusiasm after attending the local event: “To see these individuals come out and do what they are doing to promote homelessness, it warms my heart. These individuals out here are citizens of Cumberland County, so we can’t say Cumberland County is a bad place totally. It’s all about caring and being treated how you would like to be treated.”
The Community Awareness Alliance aims “to address issues such as homelessness, under education of student in low funding schools, marginalization of underrepresented and under-served communities and economic freedom, prosperity, and home ownership for these communities,” according to actionnetwork.org.
To find out more about Fayetteville’s Community Awareness Alliance, you can find it on Facebook or on Instagram @fay_caa.
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