ROCK ISLAND, Illinois-- Nearly a hundred people came together at Jumer's Casino in Rock Island for the 6th Annual Have a Heart for the Homeless luncheon.
"Having had a chance to get to know some of these people and hear their stories, it breaks your heart," said Steve Gottcent. Gottcent works closely with the homeless community at the Christian Care shelter.
Christian Care in Rock Island and Humility Homes and Services in Davenport team up every year to host the event.
"We want to make sure people who are experience homelessness, those people that in the future will experience homelessness they have resources where the can get shelter, they can get food, they can get donations, they can get help," said Gottcent.
Have a Heart for the Homeless is an event for both shelters, to not only raise money for the food and shelter they provide, but also raise awareness for a problem they work with every day.
"In the past two years on any given night, roughly four hundred to five hundred people are experiencing homelessness that's a lot for a community our size," said Gottcent.
Money raised through lunch sales and raffle tickets are split between the two shelters to continue to help the less fortunate in the Quad Cities.
"Anybody who is interested in connecting in the future for these events, anyone who wants to learn more about what is going on, everyone who has a heart for having a heart for the homeless," said Gottcent.
A passion both organizations hope to spread to everyone who walks in the doors.
"This is an opportunity to bring Illinois residents and Iowa residents together around one single issue that they all care about and that's ending homelessness and increasing housing affordability," said John DeTaeye with Humility Homes and Services. Because in their eyes the need, is always there.
"We each have our own needs of volunteerism..we have other events that we do we always have other needs of donations and giving," said Gottcent.
Last year they raised 7,500 dollars. This years total will be announced later this week.
