In Mecklenburg County alone, 3,683 members of our community are homeless. When the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way shelters operate, and had to cut down on how many people they can take in, those who had to be turned away started living in tents in what is now called Tent City.
My husband and I have been visiting the Tent City and talking to people who live there about things they say they need.I posted it on Facebook and it went viral. It also caught the attention of the media. As a result, we’ve had many requests from people offering to help.
How You Can Help
**This list will change frequently depending on the need so please check back/refresh often**
Tent City Item List–
******* If anyone has a TRUCK and is willing to pick up items from donors who has no access to transportation and bring those items to Tent City, please contact Kurt: iguessso99@yahoo.com
What they do NOT need at this time:
- Food. They get so much food from the public and there is such an excess that it goes to waste. Their message is that they need more items to keep them warm and dry.
- Blankets (also lots of donations).
As a filmmaker, I plan to produce a short film about the plight of the homeless and partnering with the city and county to talk about solutions. 100% of proceeds will be donated for sanitary, permanent housing.
Photo below courtesy of Courage to Continue Productions and used with permission by interviewee.