by Jake Lessels
The sidewalk in front of the state house in Concord last Friday, November 6 was filled with more than one hundred people. These people came from all over New Hampshire, from various peace groups and church organizations. This being its 12th annual gathering, Gimme Shelter has been constantly growing in popularity. The event is to gain awareness of homelessness in the Concord and Manchester area. The hundred-something group started by making their shelters fro the night, they would be sleeping in cardboard structures to simulate the real experiences that actual homeless people go through every night.
Throughout the night, several people spoke to the semi-circle formed on the cold cement. These people ranged from the heads of the event to New England College Peace Club students and also a few of the homeless that were in attendance. The masterminds, Marta Yager and Molly Messenger behind the operation told the crowd what their group, the American Friends Service Committee, does for the homeless population in New Hampshire. The AFSC helps families get into homes, helping homeless on the streets with food and many more great tasks. Some students from NEC read poems about the struggles that homeless people face everyday. There were several homeless and recovering homeless people that told their stories and stories of fellow homeless friends that had lost their life to the streets
At around six in the morning, the boxes started to stir, people emerged, chilled to the bone. Many of the event goers will likely never forget this experience and every time they go by the state house they can lean over to say to their friend, I’ve slept there before. Your friend will probably say “What? Are you nuts?” And you will tell them it was for a good cause and it was a lot of fun.
