Mercer County's Night in a Car 2027

It's easy to overlook something we don't see every day. And sometimes it's even easier to assume something doesn't exist simply because we don't see it. Rural homelessness can be like that.

It doesn't always look the way we imagine homelessness looks. It can be someone sleeping in a vehicle, staying with family or friends, or going to work and getting their kids to school while quietly trying to figure out how not to lose their home.

We may not see it, but it's here. And these aren't strangers who live in the abstract of our minds. These are people who live in our community. They're neighbors and coworkers, they're the people we sit beside at church or briefly catch up with in the checkout line.

And that's why Night In A Car is so important.

What it is. . .

On February 5, 2027, participating teams will gather at the Aledo VFW and spend the night in their vehicles as part of Mercer County's Night in a Car - a homelessness simulation and fundraiser that directly benefits the Mercer County Emergency Housing Fund. For months, we'll fundraise. For one night, we'll give up some of the comfort and security we normally take for granted and sleep in our cars. The next morning, we'll wake up and go home.

And that's the important part. We get to go home in the morning. For someone experiencing housing insecurity, there may not be a home waiting for them. Night in a Car can't recreate everything that comes with losing stable housing. One night in a vehicle cannot tell someone's entire story. But it can make us stop, think, and hopefully, it can make us look a little closer at something that is so easy to miss in our own backyard.

That brings us to this year's theme:

IT ONLY TAKES ONE.

One unexpected expense.
One lost paycheck.
One illness.
One change in circumstance.
When someone is already living close to the edge, it doesn't take a series of catastrophic events. Sometimes, one thing is enough to make an already difficult situation that much harder.

But there's another side to that. It only takes one person to make a difference, too.

One person who decides to participate.
One team that decides to show up.
One church that gets behind the effort.
One donor who gives what they can.
One person who tells somebody else about Night in a Car.

And suddenly, one person's willingness to help has become something much, much bigger. That's what I love about this year's theme. It doesn't ask any one of us to solve homelessness. It simply asks us to be one person who does something.

That's where you come in.

Be the one who says yes.

Form a team.
Help your team raise $500 or more.
And help us spread the word.

You don't have to do everything. You don't even have to do very much. Just get involved.

Because it only takes one.
One person. One team. One night. One community.

Will you be the one?

Join us for Mercer County's Night in a Car on February 5, 2027, or make a gift today to support the Mercer County Emergency Housing Fund.
Together, we can make sure that when someone in our community needs help, they don't have to face it alone.

Mercer County's Night In A Car 2027

It Only Takes One

Team Leaderboard

Team Members