Oskaloosa’s Frozen Knight Freezin’ for a Reason
With the forecast of a major winter storm bearing down on southern Iowa, from 6 PM on Friday, January 14th through 8 AM Sunday, January 16th, a member of the Oskaloosa Knights of Columbus will be spending 40 hours outdoors in a tent without food to draw attention to the homeless and to raise money for Joppa.
Joppa is a Des Moines-based non-profit organization that collaborates with community partners, helps homeless people access existing resources, and mobilizes private donations from families, churches, and organizations to meet unmet needs in homeless services, housing and education. During the winter, one service offered is the delivery of LP and a portable LP heater to the homeless in the Des Moines area.
The Oskaloosa Knight, who wishes to remain anonymous, got involved with Joppa’s LP delivery last winter. The experience completely changed his outlook on the homeless, humbling him to identify that many Iowans are just one catastrophic event from being homeless. Moved by this, he came up with the idea of a “Frozen Knight” to spend 40 hours outside St. Mary’s Church in Oskaloosa in January to raise money for Joppa and to raise awareness of the homeless in our communities.
Planning for this event started in early November 2021. Then, there was no way of knowing that a winter storm was scheduled to hit Oskaloosa for over 24 of the planned 40 hours. When asked if the storm was going to delay or force him to reschedule the event, his response was, “the homeless don’t get to go to a warm house because of the weather, neither am I”.
On Saturday, January 15th, Joe Stevens, CEO of Joppa, will be in Oskaloosa from 2 PM to 3 PM to check on the Knight and answer questions about Joppa, their services, and programs at St. Mary’s Fellowship Center next to the church. The event is open to the public and the press.
Those wishing to financially support the Frozen Knight may mail checks made out and mailed to Oskaloosa Knights of Columbus, 1007 High Ave. E, Oskaloosa. There will be donation buckets placed in the church and by the Knight’s tent. Donations can also be made online at joppa.org/donate/angels, please leave the comment “Frozen Knight”.
