Shortly after their arrival, her husband unexpectedly died. The couple had no life insurance and very little in savings. Samantha began looking for work, but the pandemic had shut down many of her options.

Desperate to take care of her family, Samantha rung up more and more debt. With her cards maxed out and depleted saving, she and her two kids were evicted from their home. Without family or friends to help support them, Samantha was facing a reality that never even occurred to her just a few short months ago. She and her three children were homeless.

Kimberly's Instagram post raising awareness for homelessness.

Stories like Samantha’s were shared with participants of the annual Night in a Car event, a community outreach program in Bloomington, Ill., where volunteers slept in their cars to raise money for a local homeless shelter. The event is also designed to dispel some of the many misconceptions about homelessness in America.

Participants gather in a parking lot in the dead of winter and spend the night in their cars to experience firsthand the inhumane and often brutal conditions many Americans face.

 “It could never happen to me.”

“This is one of the things a lot of people think about homelessness,” said Kimberly Kernosky, a State Farm® employee and three-time Night in the Car participant. “They have no idea how wrong they are.”

A staggering 63% of all Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck. Six out of 10 of us are one unexpected event away from financial disaster. And if there’s anything we’ve learned from dealing with the pandemic, it’s that the “unexpected” is becoming the norm.

“The reality is that you never know what’s going to happen. Nobody plans on being homeless, and nobody should think that they’re immune, because they’re not,” said Kimberly.

This year, Kimberly was joined in the car by Kim Brockman and Rachael Lund, two other State Farm employees. Like Kimberly, Kim and Rachael also found some of what they thought they knew about homelessness was incorrect.

“Homelessness is only a problem in big cities”

Kimberly's Instagram post detailing an experience while participating in the Night in a Car event.

The reality couldn’t be further from the truth; 54% of all homeless people live in small towns, a description that certainly fits Bloomington, a smaller community of about 75,000 in central Illinois. This is where Kim, Kimberly and Rachael sat huddled in their car while the temperatures dipped below zero.

“We kept thinking how right now, there were people out in our town that were having to do what we’re doing, how this wasn’t just one night for them. Maybe they didn’t even have a car for shelter,” said Kim.

According to recent studies, 37% of all homeless people live outside or under conditions deemed unfit for human habitation.

“Right now, there are families in our community that are sleeping in their cars,” said Kim. “For us, this is one night. For them, it’s their life.”

Understanding leads to compassion

 “I knew about homelessness on a conceptual level, but when you literally walk in someone else’s shoes and feel what they feel – that is true empathy building,” said Rachael.

“This was my first year participating, and it’s an experience that I’ll never forget. Not only does it make me appreciate the comforts in my life, but it fuels my drive to give to organizations who provide services to the homeless community.”

 “I know that this is completely different,” said Kim. “I know that in a couple of hours, this will all be over and I can go home, but by getting even a little look into this world, I’m motivated to do even more to help.”

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The beauty that comes with West Coast scenery is something extraordinary to behold – the warm breeze hits your face as you take in the expansive landscape. Trees bustling with wildlife, bees busy pollinating flowers, mountain tops looming in the distance or the tide hitting the sandy beach….

And then your stomach growls, bringing you back to reality.

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) with her partner, Terry (street name: Pony Boy), Onya Jensen found awe-inspiring majesty in her surroundings, even as they struggled to feed themselves.

“I really do miss waking up on a new beach every day, but eating out of trash cans was not the greatest, and having to walk to find work was hard,” Onya said.

Before leaving Arizona to hit the PCT, both Onya and Pony Boy found support and a family with the Aris Foundation – an organization devoted to helping the hungry, needy and politically under-represented homeless adults in Arizona. Onya had been on the streets since she was a teen, holding jobs while completing high school. Pony Boy found support from the organization to get sober, and the foundation helped get them both off the streets.

Every Tuesday, Aris Foundation provides meals, hygiene products and snack packs for the homeless.

“Pony Boy used to come out every Tuesday and then he brought Onya. They needed help to get off the streets, and we helped them furnish their place,” said Aris Foundation Founder and CEO Katherine Kouvelas. “You would never know she was struggling then.”

Returning from the PCT, Onya was able to get back on her feet with a job as a claim associate at State Farm^® – a similar position she had before heading to the trail – and now she dedicates her time to volunteering with the Aris Foundation.

“I love seeing the faces. I call them my family. I want them to succeed and get sober and see them happy,” said Onya. “The Aris Foundation means community to me. It’s the community that shows up to that park on Tuesday, rain or shine, with no class separation. A full belly and a warm blanket is all any of them want.”

“Onya is very customer focus oriented and takes pride in assisting her customers to the furthest point. She recognizes the importance of remarkable recovery opportunities and takes ownership of the customer experience,” said Franklin Banaszewski, Onya’s claim team manager. “Onya is a great resource to new associates. She is always willing to assist a peer in need!”

Because of her volunteer efforts, Onya was able to provide a $500 State Farm Good Neighbor Grant^® to the foundation. She used that money to provide a burrito dinner to about 150 Arizona homeless.

“When people like Onya and Pony Boy come back out and show everyone still out there that they did it, they’re showing them it’s possible. It’s not easy, but they can do it, too,” Katherine said. “Onya is articulate, beautiful, intelligent. You couldn’t get a better spokesperson. She has had to fight for everything and she still stays positive and happy.”

And then your stomach growls, bringing you back to reality.

Onya Jensen hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) with her partner, Terry, whose street name was Pony Boy. They found awe-inspiring majesty in the surroundings, even as they struggled to feed themselves.

“I really do miss waking up on a new beach every day. But eating out of trash cans was not the greatest, and having to walk to find work was hard,” Onya said.

Before leaving Arizona to hit the PCT, both Onya and Pony Boy found support and a family with the Aris Foundation. It's an organization devoted to helping hungry, needy and politically under-represented homeless adults in Arizona. Onya had been on the streets since she was a teen, holding jobs while completing high school. Pony Boy found support from the organization to get sober. The foundation helped get them both off the streets.

Every Tuesday, Aris Foundation provides meals, hygiene products and snack packs for the homeless.

“Pony Boy used to come out every Tuesday and then he brought Onya. They needed help to get off the streets, and we helped them furnish their place,” said Aris Foundation Founder and CEO Katherine Kouvelas. “You would never know she was struggling then.”

Returning from the PCT, Onya was able to get back on her feet with a job as a claim associate at State Farm®. She held a similar position before heading to the trail. And now, she also dedicates her time to volunteering with the Aris Foundation.

“I love seeing the faces. I call them my family. I want them to succeed and get sober and see them happy,” said Onya. “The Aris Foundation means community to me. It’s the community that shows up to that park on Tuesday, rain or shine, with no class separation. A full belly and a warm blanket is all any of them want.”

Now the tables are turned. Because of her volunteer efforts, Onya was able to provide a $500 State Farm Good Neighbor Grant® to the foundation. She used that money to provide a burrito dinner to about 150 Arizona homeless.

“When people like Onya and Pony Boy come back out it shows everyone still out there that they did it. They’re showing them it’s possible. It’s not easy, but they can do it, too,” Katherine said. “Onya is articulate, beautiful, intelligent. You couldn’t get a better spokesperson. She has had to fight for everything and she still stays positive and happy.”