AMHERST
Shelter Sunday is about helping the homeless of Amherst — all while awkwardly deciding which door is best to knock on, being smothered by strangers’ pets, and asking if their parents are home when 5-year-olds nonchalantly answer the door.
It is always an interesting morning, and more than anything, it is incredibly rewarding.
My friends and I were among the volunteers Sunday morning, with this Shelter Sunday being my second year of participation on behalf of Sigma Delta Tau at the University of Massachusetts.
Check-in at the Fine Arts Center was crowded by nearly 400 volunteers waiting in line with their peers, the majority being UMass students. My group and I signed in, received our canvass zone, watched a brief video about the basic script of what to say, and proceeded to our route.
My group of five was assigned 60 houses to cover, which took us about two hours to complete. We divided our group so that a team of two conquered one side of each street while the team of three took on the other.
As a group we raised exactly $250, a total that had each of us beaming with pride.
Marion Rosenau of Craig’s Doors, the Amherst homeless shelter, said organizers don’t yet know how much money was raised overall because they want all involved agencies to be present for counting.
However, she said, this year’s huge turnout of volunteers leads her to believe it may be the most successful fundraising year yet.
“We have high hopes, and we certainly want to say thank you to all the volunteers, all the people who donated, and we hope people who will donate, for everyone who was left a pamphlet at the door,” she said.
Rosenau said the event only has positive results because of how willing the community is to help.
“It’s a really, really important, worthy cause, but it’s also successful because Amherst residents are generous and the UMass students are generous with their time,” she said.
My group’s time was spent walking four streets in search of people who wanted to donate.
For those residents who were not home to answer the door, we left a pamphlet explaining Shelter Sunday and provided an envelope for them to mail in a contribution.
Every time we saw a doorknob turn, we prepared to tell them who we were, and explain how the money they give will benefit the free meal program Not Bread Alone, Craig’s Doors, and Amherst Community Connections, which provides referrals and financial assistance to the homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless.
Some eager donors were waiting for our arrival.
Lee Bridegam, for instance, even had a Post-it note on the front door warning us that the doorbell was broken, and that Shelter Sunday volunteers should knock to get their attention.
She said she donates because she’s involved with community programs to help neighbors in need, and that she has a desire to care for others.
Many people say homeless people’s situations are their own fault, Bridegam told me, but she disagrees. From illnesses to unexpected deaths, there are various reasons why someone can depend on aid from a shelter or survival center, she said.
She gave an example of one local woman who has a home, but the furnace is gone and the roof is having problems, so she’s using the shelter because her home has been condemned.
“It’s easy to say they’re bums, but they have stories,” Bridegam said.
Many people like Bridegam happily offered to donate when we mentioned the cause, with gifts spanning from $2 to $50.
Even those who declined to donate were polite about it.
UMass student Kiana Oteyza was a volunteer Sunday morning, and she said Shelter Sunday is a great opportunity for UMass students to be more aware of what’s going on in their community.
“It teaches them what the outside world is like,” she said.