KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Volunteers with the Knox Area Rescue Ministries spent some of Christmas Day giving away gifts, making sure homeless people had presents to open.
They gave gifts away near the KARM shelter on North Broadway, which also serves as a warming and cooling center during times when East Tennessee faces extreme weather. It also routinely welcomes people who need a safe place to sleep.
"You know, it just seems like the right thing to do. And it, you know, it's I think what the essence of Christmas is all about — helping others," said Steve Patrick, a KARM volunteer who helped give away gifts on Monday.
KARM offers several faith-based outreach services meant to help make sure homeless people have a safe place to sleep and eat, and other services meant to help people struggling with addiction recover.