On Saturday morning, November 18, 2023, HEVI participated in the Fall Festival held by Our City Forest (OCF) a local nonprofit that plants and cares for trees in the urban area. The festival was a lively event where various organizations showcased their causes and activities to the public. During the event, the HEVI team attracted visitors to our booth and handed out snacks and flyers with a link to our GoFundMe to over twenty people; we also gave some tours around OCF and showed them the amazing work done by our unhoused volunteers in the past. Everyone had a blast, garnering more attention from both visitors and OCF workers to HEVI’s efforts.
Many people loved the idea of employing unhoused volunteers to help the environment for a stipend as well as the deeper connections forged by working alongside the unhoused. Some even donated to our GoFundMe campaign on the spot, helping us raise one hundred dollars in total. The festival was also a great opportunity for us to network with other organizations and learn more about their goals and challenges. We met people from different backgrounds and interests, from plant enthusiasts to a local fiddle group.
Left: HEVI volunteers Andrew, Jerry, David, Lucas, and William smile for the camera at our booth.
Right: Lucas and William chat with a visitor about HEVI and our work.
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