City helps raise money for hungry, homeless

Most people in a constant strap for cash are probably aware of just how far a few quarters can go.

Two of them can buy you a bag of chips between classes, four a ride on the Bloomington Transit. But with enough of them saved up, some people can afford meals for a week, or maybe even an extra bed to sleep in.

Bobbie Summers is hoping for the latter two. 

Summers is the executive director of Martha’s House, a homeless shelter in Bloomington that provides support services for men and women unable to secure their own homes. He is also one of the directors behind the program “Spare Change for Social Change.”

The program, part of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, is a collaborative fundraising project that will provide money for four agencies that deal with issues of homelessness in Lawrence, Monroe and Owen counties: Shalom Community Center, Martha’s House, Stepping Stones and Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard.

The agencies have set up canisters in about 60 businesses around Bloomington, where they hope people will donate their spare change, Summers said. 

“We’re trying to do something that’s really grassroots,” she said. “Because ultimately, when you have a social issue like homelessness and hunger, it really is an issue that can only be resolved by a community committed to addressing it.”

But the program, which began last Saturday and will run until this Saturday, has gotten off to a rough start. As of Tuesday, a quick shake of the purple and white cans in businesses like Soma and Rachael’s Cafe reveals little more than empty air.

Anita Edington, owner of The Chocolate Emporium, said the canister just went up in her store on Monday and she hopes things will pick up as the week goes along.

“Nobody has donated yet,” she said. “We’ll just have to see how generous people really are.”

According to Brooke Gentile, executive director of Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, the community could use a little generosity. Currently Monroe County has a poverty rate of more than 20 percent, the highest in the state of Indiana.

The money raised from the fundraising program will go to help the four agencies involved in providing shelter, food and support services for the people affected by this, Gentile said. These services include providing case managers who help to get them social security, employment and plan budgets, among other things.

According to Summers, 76 percent of the people who go through the homeless shelter suffer from health conditions and disabilities that make it difficult for them to find employment. Without a job or some form of income, they aren’t able to save up enough money for a mortgage or to stabilize themselves financially. 

Summers said she hopes that people will realize that it takes a support system to help someone out. 

“One of the things I have to tell you that I like about the community is that we seem to be committed to the quality of life for all our residents,” Summers said. “And for somebody in a crisis, that has no resources at their disposal, they need an advocate and they need someone to step up to the plate for them.”