by Kimberly Warren, Shelbyville Times-Gazette

(Editor's Note: The following article was reprinted with permission from The Shelbyville Times-Gazette.)

Members of the horse community in Shelbyville recently came together to donate needed items to the newly formed homeless site in Murfreesboro named Camp Forgiven.

“It is very unfortunate that people in our country are homeless and are without food, especially on Christmas,” says Larry Lowman of Bridlewood Farm.

Several weeks ago Lowman read about a group of homeless people that were living in a make-shift camp in the woods along the Stones River. The camp was built from donated tents and supplies gathered by Roy Gleiter, who has been homeless for the past 15 years, the article states.

Gleiter’s goal is to provide shelter for men, women and children of any age who have nowhere else to go. He also tries to assist campers in getting work and eventually getting on their feet so they can go back to normal society. During their time at the camp, members volunteer at local churches and businesses receiving either money or donations for doing services such as lawn work, painting or pet care.

As a result of reading about the camp, Lowman decided to help and contacted Spence Creasy of the Hope Center, whose phone number was listed in the article.

“He explained to me that these were people who were simply down on their luck. For different circumstances they had lost their jobs, their automobiles and their homes,”says Lowman. “Wanting to help in some way I got on the phone and started calling all the local horse farms and asking my friends to give a little something. My daughter, Beverly Wood, helped by calling all the local horse farms and by asking a lot of her friends and her husband Roger started by getting Tyson Foods to donate 200 pounds of chicken. All our horse friends started bringing canned goods and clothing and we filled a two horse trailer.”

Donations came from Bedford Tack, Groover Stables, Fantasy Farm, Bob Shuster, Crowder Stables, Spotted Saddle Horse Association, Rolling Hills Equine Clinic, Waterfall Farm, Mike and Tina Graves, The Pinnacle Farm, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Bobier, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Shuman, Tony and Charlotte Crestman, Jada Callaway, Mr. and Mrs. Lee Roy Lowman, World Champion Horse Equipment, and Bridlewood Farm.

“I realize this wasn’t much, but maybe it will help them have a better Christmas and show them that there are people who still care,” says Lowman.

The Hope Center can be reached by calling (615) 893-3262.