Easton’s Scott Park was transformed into an all-night campground armed with necessities for the homeless on Saturday.
From 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., volunteers provided food, clothing, hot chocolate and STD/STI testing for anyone who was in need, all while camping out in the park in a show of support for homeless people. Pumping music and the smell of chilli into the Easton air, the group sought to recruit anyone who stumbled by into their mission, reaching a population of around 50 people at its peak.
Rebekah Rutledge, a member of the local Christ United Methodist Church, assisted with the organization of the event and commented on the inability of the community to provide resources for people in need.
“It’s coming down on the churches and non-profits and other organizations that are really providing the resources because the community can’t sustain it,” she said.
“I’m a firm believer that God has blessed me with two hands, one for myself and one to help others,” said Stacey Jackson, founder of the event.
Jackson works for a laboratory that provides COVID-19 testing and had the idea to better bring the resource to her community. She said she came up with the idea of the day’s event to support the local homeless population, noting her concerns about local shelters filling up and the outdoor temperatures plummeting.
“All the shelters are full right now, and then I think with this government shutdown, it played a big part,” she said. “I do see a lot of people stepping up, I do see a lot of people who are offering free meals and they’re delivering meals; so I’m glad to see that, but it took a toll on a lot of people.”
Through the combined effort of local churches, companies and volunteers, Breaking Day was born.
“We turned trucks into urgent cares, we go outside to low-income areas and we do testing too, and they just come in the van and do testing,” said Sophia Trammell, a volunteer and a coworker with Jackson.
“If it was up to me, I would build a whole building on that park ground and service these people night after night after night after night,” Jackson said.