Bell to brave elements to help raise awareness

COEUR d'ALENE - The weather forecast for Friday shows a chance of snow showers with an overnight low temperature of 18 degrees.

All the better for Steve Bell to make his point.

The Coeur d'Alene resident is not homeless, but he will be sleeping Friday where those without homes often do - outside.

It's Bell's way of emphasizing the plight of the homeless, to increase empathy by feeling what those without homes do, night after night, no matter how cold.

"I can't solve the problem, but I can be that pebble in the ocean," Bell said.

He will be at St. Pius X Church, 625 E. Haycraft Ave. from 5 p.m. on, and is inviting anyone who wants to join him in braving the elements to come along.

Bell is also making a plea for donations of sleeping bags, blankets and boots that he will give the real homeless to help them make it through the long, cold winter.

It's the second consecutive year Bell has bunked down outdoors in bitter cold to create awareness of what it's truly like for the community's most needy residents.

Last year at the Harding Center, Bell camped out in 22-degree weather. He also collected 350 sleeping bags and blankets.

Dozens of community members showed up for last year's event, he said, and dozens of homeless people turned out as well. Some of the sleeping bags were given directly to those in need.

Although he is an attorney, Bell said, he has had his own share of hard times.

"That's why I have the heart for this," he said.

He is particularly concerned for the hundreds of children without homes in the area.

"So many people are out there because they lost their jobs. I don't know how many people are only getting 20 hours per week of work. They just aren't making it, and they want to work," Bell said.