Mission:Change started in early 2008 as an organization that sought to raise awareness and funds for causes in our home community of Albany, GA through the sale of “mission” specific t-shirts and hand-painted necklaces.

During 2008 we had the opportunity to travel and share the ideas and vision of mission:change to groups in Georgia, Florida and Texas. One question that kept coming up was how could Mission:Change help local causes in other communities as well.  After a bit of research, we found one social injustice or cause that all communities have in common and that is hunger and homelessness.  This is a bigger issue than most people think.  So in 2009 we added the "mission" Hope for the Hungry and Homeless. When you purchase a M:C necklace or T-shirt, proceeds will go directly to housing and feeding someone in need in your community.

What better way of kicking off this campaign than by coming together as a community to sleep-out for one night to experience a fraction of what some people experience for days, weeks or even years. 

Over 200 people attended some portion of the sleep-out and 40 stayed the entire night in their make shift box shelter as temperatures dropped to a balmy 28 degrees.  Current and former homeless people shared their stories and experiences while representatives from three local organizations, (Flint River Habitat for Humanity, Food Bank of Southwest GA and Albany Rescue Mission), explained their roles in the fight against hunger and homelessness and ways for the community to get involved with their organizations.  A local church provided vegetable soup along with lots of hot chocolate for participants throughout the night.  During the sleep-out we were able to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness, educate participants on common causes and break the stigma that everyone who is homeless chooses that lifestyle or is a drunk mentally unstable drug addict. Finally everyone was given the opportunity to take action by writing the local mayor and city commissioners asking them to adopt and implement The 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness published by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.  These letters will be hand delivered to the next city commission meeting.  As a result of the sleep-out, over $7,300 was raised and divided amongst the three organizations listed above along with boxes and boxes of clothing, blankets and canned food.  As one “sleeper” was quoted, this wasn’t just an event, it’s the start of a movement in our city.”

For more info. on The 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness visit www.endhomelessness.org or to learn more about mission:change visit www.missionchange.com.

- Todd and La Donna Urick