Project Homeless Connect Needs Volunteers on Oct. 26

If there's one thing you can take to the bank, it's that our winters don't wait for anyone, and neither does the annual push to connect our unhoused neighbors with help before the cold really sets in. Project Homeless Connect returns to the Egan Center at 555 W. Fifth Ave. on Monday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness needs volunteers to make the event a success.

For one day, guests can walk into a single building and find housing and shelter resources, healthcare and behavioral health services, legal aid, ID and document assistance, help signing up for public benefits, haircuts, foot care, winter gear, and a hot meal. For someone without the resources many of us take for granted - being able to get all of that done in one visit instead of weeks of bouncing between offices is a yuge deal.

Artist and event volunteer Duke Russell, whose drawings are prominently displayed on this year's flyer, says the plan is to feed more than 1,200 people at lunch, which could take as many as 75 volunteers.

If you want to help serve food, you'll need a food handler card, which you can get after taking a short online test. The cost is $10, but ACEH says they will cover it. Serving lunch isn't the only way to pitch in. Volunteers are also needed to set up and tear down, greet and guide guests, and help hand out winter coats, hats, and gloves. You can sign up at ACEH.org/phc.

A few hours at the Egan Center won't end homelessness in Anchorage, but it can mean somebody walks out with a warm coat, a doctor's appointment, a lead on housing, and a full stomach.