Valley church leads Christmas Eve outreach to homeless in Palm Springs

The sound of Christmas carols filled the air in Sunrise Park in Palm Springs Monday, and those who are homeless were being served.

“It is a world of hate right now, but this right here shows the love,” said Teresa Chapman, who said she has been homeless for three months.

The outreach was put on by Hosanna City church in Cathedral City, along with help from Well in the Desert.

“A lot of these people are deprived of the simple things we take for granted, just to have someone hug them, which they don’t experience often, that is what we are willing to give,” said Hosanna City Executive Pastor Sean Jones.

It all began seven years ago, when the family of valley restauranteur Sean Smith, owner of CV BBQ, decided they wanted to help the homeless.

They’ve been providing the food each year ever since.

“This day is just to bring awareness of the area, and that there are people out here this Christmas, they just need a smile, let them know, hey we care about you,” said Smith.

Clothing, sleeping bags, and personal hygiene items were also given out.

“I’m thankful they came out for the homeless people. Everybody deserves to have a nice Christmas,” said Shari Sullivan, who was among those who received items during the outreach.

Those gathered in Sunrise Park are among the roughly 130,000 homeless people in California, which make up about one quarter of the nation’s homeless population, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The rate of homelessness in California is among the highest in the nation, at more than 50 for every 10,000 people.

The volunteers who organized the event brought their children, to teach them an “important lesson”.

“We put this on to teach our children that Christmas is not just about receiving packages, but its also about giving.”

On Christmas day, Pastor Sean Jones says his church will take food and toys to underprivileged families living near the Salton Sea.

“It is not just a physical need out there, but a spiritual need, a helping hand, a touch, someone to reach out and show love,” said Jones.

The organizers for the outreach expected to serve upwards of two hundred people.