FORT WALTON BEACH — The holidays are hard for Kenneth Schultz since he became homeless.
Then again, so has every other day.
Schultz says he has his Christmas plans set. He will have a ham lunch at the Waterfront Rescue Mission and then sit in on the church service.
Other than that, it’s just another day.
“The holidays are painful. But what day isn’t painful when you’re homeless,” Schultz said while walking down Beal Parkway with a bag of food in his hands.
Schultz is one of hundreds of men and women in Okaloosa County who will celebrate the holiday without a Christmas tree and without a home.
“It’s tough being homeless during the holidays,” said Yvonne Franklin with Sharing and Caring. “They want to sit with their family and eat the big turkey dinner.
“They miss that closeness you get this season.”
On a recent Friday morning, Franklin walked through Sharing and Caring’s headquarters handing out lunches and speaking with the men and women escaping the cold for some food.
She said at this time of year places such as Sharing and Caring are overwhelmed with generosity, but once the new year hits the donations slow. Even now, she is looking for two additional churches to help shelter the homeless on cold nights.
“It really falls off once Christmas is over,” Franklin said. “These people have nothing.”
Denise Weaver said she has not made plans for Christmas. The homeless woman says she no longer has any family living, so people like Franklin have become her family.
She is just grateful for what she can get from local organizations.
“It keeps all of us going,” Weaver said just before she left Sharing and Caring to walk around downtown Fort Walton Beach.
Brian Ekedahl, executive director of the Waterfront Rescue Mission, sees the sadness every year but says community support for the homeless keeps them sustained.
“I think the community is doing an excellent job at providing,” Ekedahl said. “I know many people have a difficult time, as far as where they are going to be. It’s a hard place to be in.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.