Annabelle Childers
“There really should be no homeless in America,” said Nick Adjinovich, Director of Events and Fundraising for the organization. Adjinovich began volunteering for the organization in 2022, and he still gets emotional talking about the impact of Sub Zero’s work.
Every winter, volunteers with the group suit up in blue coats and travel on missions across Northern Ohio, and even Detroit and Buffalo.
“We will walk through the streets where we find the homeless, and then we will ask them, do they need anything?”
Adjinovich explains that volunteers will then hand them a bag full of socks, gloves and hats, and people in need can come to their trucks to get coats and boots in their size.“
You try to convince them, but some of them, just, this is their home and they’re not going to leave their home. All you can do is try to understand the situation and help them out in any way that you can,” said Adjinovich.
Sub Zero Mission was formed by veterans in 2009 with a goal of helping homeless veterans.
The mission captured the attention of James Hido, a combat veteran himself, who understands the importance of shared experience when coming into this space.
“You immediately have that sense of brotherhood, sisterhood kind of scenario when you start to approach someone,” said Hido. “In addition, you have a few talking points that you can bring up and easily bring down the level of, you know, concern that they have. Because realistically, when we’re going out and we’re going into these tent camps, we have to put things into perspective. Imagine sitting in your living room and somebody enters your house.”
While the volunteers help everyone they find in need, they work to identify homeless veterans specifically and connect them with long-term help.
“Working with them hand in hand, getting them through, you know, levels of transportation to go to sobriety classes or anything that may be [needed],” said Hido. “And know that they have that fighting chance for a second chance at life at that point.”
Tuesday at 7:00, a group of ten volunteers headed to Cleveland for a mission.
Saturday, the group will go to Lorain County for an all-day mission from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Adjinovich says the group is always in need of donations, especially coats and boots.
