About Sleepless Hunger, mental health, intimate partner violence and social isolation aren’t just Last February, 27 Elgin participants and 15 Middlesex participants slept out in their cars for Sleepless, United Way’s annual event aimed at eliminating homelessness in the counties. Participants raised $37,380 in pledges and corporate support in Elgin and $13,573 in Middlesex for United Way funded programs and services in their communities. When we developed Sleepless, just five short years ago, the intention was to raise awareness around poverty and homelessness in smaller communities while raising funds for United Way to support local urgent needs. This year, there are so many local challenges that keep us up at night. Hunger, social isolation, intimate partner violence and mental health—issues that have gotten worse since the pandemic hit--need to become part of the conversation too. In the past we asked participants to sleep in their car. This year, we are flipping the concept and asking participants to stay awake all night in their home to help draw attention to the local issues that keep people in our counties up at night. |
