Written by: Amanda Freuler
(Above) Johnson displays Valentine’s Day cards created for the EBed program.
Before finishing up her workday at Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) on grey February day, Chastedy Johnson, YPK Community Outreach Chair, walked in between rows of clean beds carrying a stack of multicolored cardstock. At 6 p.m., people in the community in search of warmth and a place to rest for the night would arrive at the shelter to find something unexpected on their bed - a valentine.
Johnson, KARM’s communication coordinator, said the Valentine’s Day cards are created by individuals and groups in the community for each person taking shelter at KARM. This year, the Young Professionals of Knoxville were among members of the community that dedicated time to create a valentine for KARM’s guests.
Gathering together virtually in January, YPK members situated themselves at home in front of their Zoom video square with index cards and craft supplies in tow. During the event, members chatted and exchanged creative ideas for messages of inspiration, cheesy jokes and well-wishes they could write in the cards. Each valentine, adorned with marker doodles and magazine picture cut-outs, served one purpose: to let someone in need in our community know you’re thinking about them.
At KARM, the cards go beyond Valentine’s Day. Johnson and her colleague Jordan Foxwell, director of volunteer relations, work to distribute cards to shelter guests every night of the year through the Every Bed, Every Day program, also known as the EBed program.
“We typically do Valentine’s Day cards every year,” Johnson said. “We’ll have Christmas cards and Thanksgiving cards that people make. We try to hit at least every holiday, but if we can’t, we still put a sweet card on their bed.”
According to Foxwell, the EBed program began to fill a need in building relationships with area homeless who rely on the shelter. Knox County Office on Homelessness reported that there were about 2,600 people “literally homeless” in Knoxville in late 2020, and the office served more than 4,000 individuals at-risk for homelessness. Foxwell said that about 70% of people who sleep in the shelter each night are transient and do not stay in Knoxville long enough to participate in KARM recovery programs or workshops.
“If an organization is all about just assisting [with] immediate needs, there sometimes becomes a dependency cycle and short-term gains,” he explained. “If an organization is all about relationships, it’s warm...but connecting with someone when they still don’t have their immediate needs met really has no backbone to it.”
The EBed program was established by Carolyn Rosen, wife to KARM’s President and Chief Executive Officer Burt Rosen, and serves 100,000 to 140,000 people per year, said Foxwell. Each night, depending on the season and time of month, there can be anywhere from 300 to 350 people in line at KARM’s door seeking shelter, each of whom receive a warm meal, a bed, and an anticipated EBed card.
Johnson and Foxwell both agree - the cards are a hit.
“If you go in our women’s dorm, there’s a gallery of EBed cards in the window,” said Johnson. “This one lady must really love her cards because she has all of them sitting on the window sill, waiting for her to get back to her bed.”
Cards, like those shown above, may share thoughts of love and comfort with KARM guests.
A woman named Kathy, a recent guest and card recipient, told a KARM staff member in a survey that the ladies gather together in their dorm to see what each other’s cards say.
“I love to receive them and they always seem to say what I need to hear for comfort,” Kathy said in the survey.
Another woman named Alisha responded to the survey: “The cards make us feel loved and thought about.”
While some cards demonstrate artistic abilities and creativity, others are simple and straight-forward.
“Some people just have a really good quote or verse and they write their quote down on an index card,” Foxwell said.
“It’s like receiving a Valentine’s card every single day,” Johnson added. “You know that feeling that’s like ‘oh how sweet, you’re thinking of me,’ that’s every single day.”
Community Outreach Co-Chair Amelea Everett, who helped organize and attended the event, said that it’s imperative for young professionals to give back and support their community.
“I could go on for days about the importance of getting involved and giving back. Young professionals are the future leaders of their community and they have a hand in shaping the outcomes that nonprofit and community organizations are working toward. By volunteering now, young professionals can begin to create the future they want to see for their community.”
Beyond cards, Johnson said that the community can participate in the EBed program with donations, such as holiday socks or sweet treats, or by simply “adopting” a bed to pray over or think about. At the end of the day, Johnson said the cards are about connection.
“We just want to show them that ‘hey, you’re not alone. You’re a person just like I am.’”
To learn more about KARM’s EBed program, visit everybedeveryday.org