Out of the Cold will hold its second ‘Sleep Out’ event. Here’s how to join or support the effort

Dozens of Centre County residents will sleep outside for one night this weekend to raise funds and awareness for a permanent homeless shelter.

Out of the Cold: Centre County hopes to raise $30,000 in this year’s Sleep Out Weekend event, and will put the money toward the purchase of a building for a permanent shelter.

So far, 17 people and organizations have set up fundraisers on the Sleep Out’s website, but the number of people who will be sleeping outside one or more nights this weekend will be much higher, OOTC3 Program Coordinator Sarah Potter said.

“For example, my son and myself are going to be attending our church’s Sleep Out weekend event, and there’s going to be about 15 people there, and we’re all camping out in our own tents in someone’s backyard,” Potter said.

OOTC held its first Sleep Out last year because, with the then-new coronavirus pandemic, organizers wanted an event that people could do from their homes, said Kendra Gettig, OOTC3’s board chair.

The event raised $19,000 — $1,000 short of OOTC3’s goal — and participants had a fun and sometimes enlightening experience.

Christa Gallagher learned about OOTC3 through her church and participates in most of its events. When she heard about the Sleep Out last year, she suggested her son, Liam, should participate and she helped him fundraise.

“With COVID, there wasn’t a lot to do,” Gallagher said. “And I thought it was a really great fundraising idea.”

The Gallaghers had been told a man often slept in the woods near their State College house, although he hadn’t been seen since the pandemic started, so Liam and three of his friends slept there.

“It was a lot of fun,” Liam said. “It was something different. I don’t camp a lot outside.”

This year, Christa will join Liam, and they’re trying to recruit other people to participate too.

Gettig and Potter both participated in the Sleep Out last year and plan to again. Like the Gallaghers, Gettig said the experience was fun, but led her to reflect on the experiences of unsheltered residents.

Gettig slept outside on a Sunday, without realizing that night would have the worst weather of the weekend.

“It was really cold and really rainy,” Gettig said. “But (I realized) that people who are experiencing homelessness don’t get to choose the conditions that they sleep out in.”

The fundraiser has raised more than $14,000 so far, and people can donate until the end of the month. Gettig said she’s hopeful that the fundraiser will meet its $30,000 goal, but it’s too early to tell.

Although OOTC3 tries to keep the guests in its shelter separate from its fundraising efforts, Potter said they have seen posters promoting the Sleep Out and seem “happy that it’s happening.”

One guest made his own webpage on the Sleep Out’s fundraising website to show support, Potter said.

Anyone can participate in the Sleep Out by sleeping outside any night this weekend, and people can donate to the fundraiser through OOTC3’s website.

“We really encourage (people) to do whatever (they) are comfortable with,” Potter said. “Even if it means sleeping on your porch on a blow-up mattress, we don’t care. It’s about participating, and trying to help us raise funds for this important cause.”

OOTC3’s next event will be two open houses in December where the public can tour their future shelter at The Meetinghouse at Atherton.

This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 3:38 PM.