Dec. 4-5, 2010

Following a tradition that began with the faith communities and concerned citizens, the 4th Annual Caldwell Park Encampment Project is being planned in support of homeless awareness and the services that Aid for Friends provides to our community.  This special event is held at Caldwell Park in Pocatello and begins Friday evening, December 3, 2010 with construction of a Base Camp.  The actual event commences at 10:00 am on Saturday, December 4, 2010 and ends at 10:00 am on Sunday, December 5, 2010.

The previous Encampment events have proven to be successful both as fundraisers and as awareness raisers, and have resulted in greater community support.  Participants raise money by soliciting tax-deductible pledges from individuals and businesses.  Spending the night in a cardboard box impacts participants by increasing their understanding of what the homeless often endure, both physically and emotionally, especially in the harsh winter cold. 

Aid For Friends emerged in Pocatello as a response to the tragic death of a young homeless man and another who lost his foot to frostbite during the winter of 1983-1984 because no shelter services operated in Pocatello at that time. 

Continuing in the spirit of that response, families and individuals from concerned faith communities, civic groups and local organizations will be asked to build shelters out of cardboard, newspapers and tarps similar to those the homeless would build and to lodge in their makeshift dwellings overnight.  They would, in effect, construct an “emergency camp” much like what is found under bridges in communities that do not have an agency like Aid For Friends to provide safe haven.  

There will be an Winter Clothing Drive for hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, coats and new socks sponsored by the Quakers a Food Drive for “Camp Food” such as cans of chili, tuna, ham, and soup sponsored by the Modern Woodmen of America. 

Used coats may be dropped off through the first week of December at Your Valet Cleaners, 675 Yellowstone, and will be cleaned at no charge. Please specify that the coats are for the Aid For Friends Encampment Project.  

• Allan Priddy, who has taught survival classes at ISU for over 20 years, will provide appropriate survival instructions.  A medical professional will educate participants on personal health, safety and emergency preparedness. 
• Training will be taught Friday evening, during lunch on Saturday, and later in the afternoon. 
• Boy Scout Troop 315 will serve a “Soup Kitchen” dinner and Boy Scout Troup 310 will assist with a hot pancake breakfast on Sunday morning.
• A zero-impact fire in a 55-gallon drum as a heat source will keep participants warm
• Afternoon and evening musical entertainment will be at the First Presbyterian Church
• Coffee, hot chocolate and cookies will be served on site at the Salvation Army Canteen.  All safety precautions will be adhered to, with on-site fire extinguishers; portable toilets. 
• American Legion Riders’ will provide security personnel throughout the night. 

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Click here for a Look Back at the 2009 Caldwell Park Encampment Project Fundraiser & Awareness