Homeless For The Holidays Kicks Off In Orleans

ORLEANS – It’s not uncommon to see members of the Orleans Fire Department out on the streets. But this week, department members are hitting the streets in a different way in support of an important cause.

Orleans Fire Local 2675 is participating in Homeless For The Holidays this season in partnership with the Lower Cape Outreach Council. For 103 consecutive hours from Dec. 6 through Dec. 10, local fire personnel will take turns occupying space outside on Route 6A next to the Red Balloon Toy Shop.

Firefighter Paramedics Gabby Parker and Ian Mack, who serve on a committee tasked with organizing the event in Orleans, say the goal is to bring awareness to the need that exists for residents and families in town, as well as collect toys, clothes and other items for families that need them.

“The price of housing has really impacted the people who can be here on the Cape, and the people who are already here on the Cape are feeling the pinch, because all the costs of living here have gone up, whether its taxes or food or whatever,” Mack said. “So some people need some help to get by, and we really want to make sure that they and their children have a fantastic holiday.”

Homeless for the Holidays started on the Cape more than 20 years ago with the Bourne Fire Department. Since then, departments across the Cape, as well as some off the peninsula, have staged their own events annually.

In Orleans, the event is returning after a lull in activity in recent years.

‘I’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” said Parker, who helped organize the event’s return alongside Mack, firefighter/paramedics Brandon Henderson and Cole Daffinee and paramedic Ben Nickerson. “Me and Ben Nickerson, last year at our Christmas party, we were like ‘It’s time to get this thing back going. Let’s do it.’ He was all in on it.”

At the staging area, fire personnel take shifts meeting members of the public and keeping warm by a barrel fire. Those on site overnight will take turns sleeping in tents. Donations of unwrapped toys, non-perishable food items, clothing and pet food, as well as monetary contributions, will also be accepted onsite.

All donations will be transported over to the nearby Lower Cape Outreach Council, where items will be distributed to local families.

“They already have the logistics and the things in place to provide for those that are in need,” Mack said. “They have the best idea of what the needs are of our community right now. That’s why it’s great to be able to partner with them and let us collect as much as we can.”

As housing costs continue to rise alongside that of food, utilities and other necessities, so too does the need in Orleans and across the Cape and Islands. Parker said she and her fellow firefighters are confronted by the need that exists in the community regularly while out on the job.

“I think food and hygiene, those are issues that we run into, things that you don’t really know exist here in Orleans,” she said. “But obviously all over the Cape they exist. You’ve seen the cost of groceries these days. Just food costs alone are huge.”

Parker said she hopes the visibility of the event, situated near the heart of downtown, will help lessen the stigma that might exist for some around asking for help, especially during the holiday season.

“If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask,” she said. “That’s what these amazing programs like Lower Cape Outreach Council and Homeless Prevention [Council], that’s what they’re here for. That’s why they exist.”

As part of the event, a “Family Day” will be held at the site on Saturday, when families can stop by and take pictures with Santa. There will also be vendors selling goods in the Artist Cottages behind the staging area.

“It’s a fun, festive time of year,” Mack said. “People are starting to shop and get out and about.”

Parker and Mack said last week, prior to the start of the event, that they’re looking forward to connecting with residents and families, noting that they hope to stage the holiday event annually.

“We want to support the community that supports us,” Mack said.

Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com