KEY CLUB MEMBERS ARE HOMELESS ONCE AGAIN

(November 12, 2008 / Riverhead, NY) The idea of the “Be Homeless Night,” which originated in November of 2003 in a Riverhead High School Key Club meeting, sprang from the realization that there are some individuals that do not have a place to go home to at the end of the day, and that people on the East End of Long Island are sleeping in cars, the woods, and abandoned buildings.

In order to raise money and bring more awareness to the plight of the homeless on the East End, Riverhead High School Key Club members decided they’d sleep in boxes outside in the inner courtyard of the high school as a fund-raiser for Maureen’s Haven. Maureen’s Haven is a consortium of churches, which have made it possible for the area homeless to come to their churches for a warm meal and a safe place to sleep.

Once a year since November 2003, the Key Club members have been dedicated to continuing their vigil for the homeless. In 2004, the program was awarded the Best Single Service Project of New York State District Key Clubs. Now in its 5th year, the students talked in the early evening with Pastor Caren Heacock, who is the Associate Pastor at the Mattituck Presbyterian Church, which was one of the first churches to come on board for the Maureen's Haven project.

“Pastor Heacock told us some stories about the local homeless and provided the club with statistics,” noted Key Club Advisor and Kiwanis Club Secretary Louise Wilkinson. “She underlined the importance of our mission and noted that each East End town probably has at least 100 people living outside.”

“In addition to Pastor Heacock,” noted Mrs. Wilkinson. “Zona Story spoke to the students about the soup kitchen that she is associated with, explaining that it may close at the end of December. She noted that the number of people coming to them for a hot meal goes up every winter in December; however, this year the number of people desiring a hot meal is already higher due to lost jobs and the increase in gas prices. For some people, she told us, this is their only hot meal.”

Ten of the Key Club members spent the night. Two members, Paige Molinari and Michel Hart, lasted the entire night. They came in at 6:00 AM after spending the night in a heavy mist with a temperature that at its low was 44 degrees. At 5:00 A.M., the RHS security guard, who had stayed over night, went into the courtyard kicking boxes and telling those inside it was time to move on. The Club raised nearly $500. Donations can still be sent to the Riverhead Kiwanis/Key Club, P.O. Box 2773, Aquebogue, NY 11933.

Photo caption #1: Association Pastor Caren Heacock speaks with members of the Riverhead High School Key Club about the plight of the homeless on the East End of Long Island.

Photo caption #2: Students trying to get some sleep in their boxes during the “Be Homeless Night” at Riverhead High School.

# # # #