BANGOR, Maine — Mainers packed the Bangor waterfront for the 24th annual Hike for the Homeless on Saturday. The event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter.
"The people who experience homeless are usually people we know, like our cousins, our brothers, our sisters, our friends, so it really affects everybody," said Bangor Area Homeless Shelter Boyd Kronholm.
Last year in Maine, there were nearly 6,500 people who experienced homelessness. One of those people is Sam Thomas, who walked through the streets of Bangor on Saturday morning.
"Just because we might have hit a rough patch in our life doesn't mean that we're less than anyone else who's in our community," said Thomas.
Thomas is currently experiencing homelessness and is utilizing resources from the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter.
"I think that's the biggest misconception that people have is that if you're homeless, you've got nothing to give back, which is totally untrue," added Thomas.
Thomas works with the Columbia Street Project and the Maine Prisoner Re-entry Network, and is looking to share resources and help those struggling.
Another person walking for the cause is 12-year-old Lucy Alexander. She raised $622.25 as part of the Hike for the Homeless. It was the largest amount of money raised by one single person this year.
"I just wanted to beat my goal from last year. Homeless people need it," said Alexander.
The hike took the participants on a loop from the Bangor waterfront, through downtown and back by the Penobscot River for music, raffles and a cookout.