Oftentimes, Bucks County’s homeless and hungry can be invisible and those in need of support and services remain in the shadows, struggling to survive.
On Saturday, three county organizations are joining forces in Pennsylvania’s first Coldest Night of the Year Walk, a fundraising effort to help the tens of thousands of food insecure Bucks residents and its more than 400 homeless.
The Bucks County YWCA, partnering with the Bucks County Housing Group and the Bucks County Opportunity Council, is sponsoring the event. Begun in Canada, this is only its second year in the United States.
Individuals, families, neighbors, businesses and others are asked to form teams and gather sponsors to support their walk through Doylestown Borough. Registration begins at 4 p.m. at the Bucks County Justice Center, with the walk starting at 5 p.m. and ending at 7 p.m. at the James Lorah House on Broad Street, where a warm meal will end the walk, organizers said. There is a 2K and a 5K walk.
“The Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) Walk is an opportunity to bring homelessness awareness to our Bucks County community. Homelessness is hidden in Bucks County and often forgotten, but just last year there were over 400 homeless people counted in the county’s point in time count, which was about a 48% increase from the previous year,” said Erin Lukoss, executive director and CEO of the Bucks County Opportunity Council, in an email.
Each of the agencies stressed the dramatic increase in the number of Bucks County residents in need of housing and food. The combination of inflation and recovery from the pandemic has found many seeking help for the first time.
“Rising food costs, inflation, and an uncertain economic landscape have resulted in our food program patrons more than doubling in the past year,” said Erik Clare, executive director of Bucks County Housing Group.
The Bucks County Foodshed reported there are 65,000 Bucks County residents who are food insecure, meaning they are lacking access to affordable, nutritious food. Thirty-five percent of those are children; 14 percent are seniors. Sixty-four percent are adults working at least one full-time job.
Additionally, according to Feeding America, a national nonprofit network of more than 200 food banks, the average meal cost in Bucks County is $3.85, compared to the U.S. average of $3.25.
The food budget shortfall in the county is $28,493.
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