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JAMESTOWN, NY (WNY News Now) – It’s no secret the homeless population in the city of Jamestown is on the rise. One local group is stepping up to lend a hand, providing lunch to those in need.
Right now, leaders in Jamestown are working on a plan to help get people off the streets before snow falls. However, one group of locals we caught up with are working to address immediate needs.
“We’re set up to help the community, we’re a non profit, so we give food away, we have different things during the year that go on, we help children, we help veterans, we help first responders, and of course the homeless,” explained Thelma Samuelson.
Members of Knights of Enchanted Dreams, a Jamestown area non-profit, packed roughly 100 lunches to hand out.
“We have bagged lunches, we have fruit in there, an apple or an orange, we have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bologna, turkey, and ham, that way it’s a variety because you never know what someone likes,” said Samuelson.
The group strives to give hope and spread love to those in tough situations.
“We’re just hoping to let the homeless know that someone cares about them and their situation. We want them to know that we’re here for them,” Samuelson said. “I think we need to show more caring and loving towards these people. They did not ask for this, it’s usually a situation that came up that they had no control of.”
According to Thelma Samuelson, everyone in the community needs to lend a helping hand.
“There’s so many homeless people right now in the city of Jamestown and it’s gotten worse over this last year, it’s been in the paper, our mayor has talked about it, I really think that we need to sit back, each one of us, and say to ourselves ‘What can I do to help someone’,” said Samuelson.
“We need to go back to the old fashioned way of love your neighbor, help your neighbor, do what you need to to help everybody that’s around you,” Samuelson said.
The organization has plans in place to continue these meals through November and December. They invite those who need a place to sit, stop and rest a while, to visit their building located at 104 West Second Street in Downtown Jamestown.
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