An open letter to the Valley on homelessness

If you hear the word “homelessness” and you think “Anchorage,” think again.

Did you know, right here in our Valley, there are more than 800 school children sleeping in cars, in tents, on someone else’s couch, and yes, even in cardboard boxes? This is not just an increasing problem — it is a real tragedy!

Family Promise Mat-Su is one of the few safety nets available to homeless Valley families. The nonprofit shelters families in area churches and on site, and offers compassionate care to families without housing through immediate assistance, shelter, meals and case management. Family Promise also relies on money raised by the community to move forward in its mission.

That’s where Cardboard City comes in. Cardboard City is Family Promise’s major fundraising event. Each year, our community participates in this event designed to:

• Raise awareness for homeless families in our Valley, and

• Raise money to support positive action in serving this population.

This year, the eighth annual Cardboard City is from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., July 17 to 18 at the green gate of the Alaska State Fairgrounds.

During this event, individual or group participants “rent” cardboard to use as dwellings. They design and decorate their dwelling, brave Alaska weather to sleep in it for one night, eat donated food from a “soup kitchen,” and learn something about the life of the homeless in the Mat-Su Valley.

Cardboard City represents only one of the challenges these families face daily. No one can truly feel the full effect of homelessness without swapping places with someone living that situation.

However, participation in this event does offer a glimpse into that world, and all monies raised go directly to assisting these Valley families.

We are reaching out to you, Mat-Su community. Help us raise awareness and money for those among us who are in desperate need. Mark your calendar for Cardboard City and join us as we work toward stamping out homelessness in our Valley.

We also invite you to attend our 10th year “Birthday Party,” celebrating 17,500 shelter nights from 5 to 7 p.m., May 27.

For more information, contact 357-6160 or promise@mtaonline.net, or visit familypromisematsu.org.

We look forward to hearing from you, and we will be pleased to answer your questions. Thank you for considering this worthy cause. We are all better off when we help the least of us in our community.

Gini King-Taylor is a member of the Family Promise Mat-Su Board.