Bright Spot: Marching to support shelter care

BEMIDJI — Village of Hope, an emergency shelter in Bemidji, is commemorating its 40th year with an event each month of 2026.

"We're trying to do something to celebrate our existence and the work we do and get the message out how people can help us," said Board Chair Dee Sweeney during a recent Bright Spot conversation on the KAXE Morning Show.

"So, March to Support Shelter Care in March seemed like a good idea."

The March to Support Shelter Care begins at noon, Saturday, March 14. Attendees will meet at the Paul and Babe statues and then march around Bemidji.

Village of Hope is teaming up with Nameless Coalition for the Homeless (which includes the Wolfe Center), Evergreen Youth and Family Services and Peoples Church to raise awareness about what they all do. Each organization has a different focus on helping people in need of shelter.

The march will go past each organization's location and end at Wild Hare Bistro at approximately 1 p.m, where there will be short presentations about each organization.

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Village of Hope

If you prefer not to march, you can come to the Wild Hare for warm drinks and to learn more.

Village of Hope is not for profit and has been offering emergency shelter to families since 1986. They started as Ours to Serve House of Hospitality and rebranded as Village of Hope in 2012 with a new building. It can house six families at a time.

Sweeney emphasized that this event is not a protest, but rather a way to highlight the work that's going on in the community to help others.

"It's a full-time job for folks to find housing," she said. "So, we're supporting them through whatever family crisis needs repair."

Listen to the full conversation above!

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The Bright Spot is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.