Husband and Wife Return to Homeless Connect as Volunteers

Sixty government agencies, non-profits and for-profit companies set up in Municipal Auditorium Wednesday to offer their services for free to Nashville’s homeless community. In the second annual “Homeless Connect” event, volunteers cut hair, fitted eye-glasses and filled out paper work for nearly 1,600 participants.

Buddy and Shelly Wallace volunteered grooming homeless pets. Last year they came themselves looking for aid. Buddy needed help applying for disability assistance. Shelly was searching for a warm pair of work boots. They’ve lived the past year in Tent City near downtown.

Just last month, the First Baptist Church of White House hired them as caretakers of a farm in exchange for housing.

BUDDY WALLACE: “Feels great, being able to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about being cold. We do care and worry about the people living in Tent City.”

SHELLY WALLACE: “I tell them all, you know what, keep your head up no matter what and everything’s going to be ok.”

Homeless Connect attracted 700 volunteers – more than twice the number last year. It also brought out 500 additional homeless participants.