A local group called Grow in Grace is dedicated to serving homeless individuals — both by helping donate items needed inside and outside of shelters and by helping eliminate some of the stigmas attached to homelessness.
Ami Hunt created the Facebook Page called Grow in Grace. Within two weeks, it garnered the interest of hundreds of people like herself wanting to help those who are often overlooked and unseen.
Over the weekend, Hunt and a team of volunteers donated various items, including high-quality camping equipment, to those living outside of shelters.
Hunt said her dedication to helping the homeless stemmed from her time spent volunteering at shelters such as St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter for Men and CrossRoads Shelter for women and children.
She said she wanted to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness through Grow in Grace, including many of the stigmas surrounding the homeless community.
“There are various circumstances facing those who don’t stay in shelters,” Hunt said. “Some are escaping domestic violence. A lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck, and they are just one mistake or one paycheck away from becoming homeless. It is not always drugs and alcohol. For some of them, it could be a situation where they just don’t want to be separated from their families.”
Owensboro does not currently have a homeless shelter where entire families can stay together, which is one reason some of them sleep on park benches, on concrete sidewalks behind buildings, or in luckier instances on the couches of anyone willing to temporarily house them.
Hunt noted that many homeless individuals suffer from a variety of mental health issues as well.
“I just want to bring awareness to help those people,” she said. “Those who are living on the streets don’t have fire, so we are taking them a camping stove. We’re also bringing emergency, military-style pop-up tents because a lot of them don’t have [high-quality material to protect them from the elements].”
Hunt said 50-60 people offered to help her donate items to the homeless. She will be presenting a “shelter spotlight” each month via her Grow in Grace Facebook Page to highlight the programs being held or donations needed for different shelters, as well as the needs facing the unsheltered homeless population.
