Gimme Shelter Pekin

Gimme Shelter is a 12 hour event hosted by Phoenix Community Development Services to raise awareness of the challenges faced by those in our community without homes and to give our citizens an opportunity to help end homelessness in Central Illinois. Gimme Shelter will be held on the evening of February 16, 2024. Community members raise funds for the “privilege” of spending the night, from 6:00 pm in the evening until 6:00 am the next morning, outside in a cardboard box or in their car. For those comfortable attending in person, a socially distanced event will be held at the Miller Center. Gimme Shelter, Pekin, will also feature educational activities on the topics of homelessness, the challenges it poses for our society, and the solutions. Gimme Shelter will bring our community together, raise awareness of the plight of those with nowhere to call home, and provide a powerful opportunity to learn more about homelessness. Participants will experience a taste of what it is like to be outside, overnight, in the heart of a Central Illinois winter. Proceeds from Gimme Shelter will benefit Phoenix Community Development Services and help our neighbors without homes stay healthy and secure the permanent housing they need to end their homelessness and reach their full potential.