The names of local deceased homeless people were placed on empty food trays during lunch at the Community Kitchen on Tuesday. Over 150 homeless were served following a memorial service for 25 area people who died.Cold rain fell from a gray sky as nearly 200 people gathered Tuesday at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen to remember the 23 homeless people who died here this year.
“This day is a bitter day,” Mayor Ron Littlefield said. “The weather never turns like it has turned today where those of us who are in a position of responsibility can’t help but think, ‘I wonder how the homeless are surviving tonight?'”
Littlefield was among the crowd that gathered at the Community Kitchen and thousands who gathered throughout the nation Tuesday to honor homeless people who perished this year.
The observance always is held on Dec. 21 in conjunction with the winter solstice, marking the first day of winter and the darkest day of the year, said Jens Christensen, the kitchen’s assistant director.
Coughs reverberated through the room during the ceremony. Some attendees talked about sore hips that resulted from constant standing and walking.