BANGOR, Maine — The mild winter hasn’t lessened demand at the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, Executive Director Rowena Griffin said as the 21st Hike for the Homeless wound down Saturday.
“Our numbers have remained the same,” she said. “We run full pretty much every night.”
Last year, between 450 and 500 people came through the shelter, located on the corner of Main and Cedar streets in Bangor, she said. The shelter staff and volunteers served 13,000 meals and had 12,000 bed nights.
About 65 percent of people who use the shelter suffer from mental illness or substance abuse, according to Griffin. The rest are in a temporary situation and will be able to work and get back on their feet again.
This year’s Hike for the Homeless topped last year’s record of 1,100 participants, Griffin said. She did not have an exact total Saturday.
The event also was expected to raise more money than the $36,000 raised by last year’s 20th anniversary Hike for the Homeless. That’s a small portion of the shelter’s $750,000 budget.
Participants paid $15 to enter, started walking at four locations in Bangor, Brewer, Hampden and Hermon and converged at the Bangor Waterfront, where food and water was provided.
“This community has proven time and time again that it supports this cause,” Griffin told participants.