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Festival For The Homeless Adapts To New Gathering Restrictions

A small group gathers on the lawn to hear Phase Band during the Festival for the Homeless that took place on Saturday, September 7, 2019, at Gateway Commons Park in Winston-Salem. DAVID FORD/WFDD

The annual Festival for the Homeless provides free barbeque, live music, children's games, and more to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Winston-Salem. The grassroots event has traditionally been held in public parks, but this year it's hitting the road.

Gateway Commons Park was the site of last year's event where many of Forsyth County's more than 440 homeless people came together. This weekend, due to the current gathering restrictions over coronavirus concerns, the park will be used as a staging area to distribute grab-and-go lunches and gift bags directly to the housing shelters where most of the would-be festival-goers reside.

Organizer Kimberly Hinton-Robinson says she considered canceling this year, but shelter staff changed her mind.

"You know, they all expressed the same thing: how depressed a lot of the guests are in these shelters due to COVID-19," says Hinton-Robinson. "This is a difficult and challenging time for all of us. So, to add being homeless onto this is just, you know, something that I can't even begin to imagine."

On Saturday, volunteers will make stops at three local shelters — Samaritan Ministries, Bethesda Center, and Salvation Army. They'll be accompanied by a live concert on wheels by jazz and R&B singer Saundra Ross.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Before his arrival in the Triad, David had already established himself as a fixture in the Austin, Texas arts scene as a radio host for Classical 89.5 KMFA. During his tenure there, he produced and hosted hundreds of programs including Mind Your Music, The Basics and T.G.I.F. Thank Goodness, It's Familiar, which each won international awards in the Fine Arts Radio Competition. As a radio journalist with 88.5 WFDD, his features have been recognized by the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Inc., Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, and Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas. David has written and produced national stories for NPR, KUSC and CPRN in Los Angeles and conducted interviews for Minnesota Public Radio's Weekend America.

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