On Christmas morning at 10am, hundreds of New Yorkers will gather at The Doe Fund’s Mama Doe Memorial to remember lives lost while experiencing homelessness, to celebrate those who have overcome it, and to advance solutions to the crisis. The Memorial is free and open to the public.
The annual tradition began in 1985, when a homeless woman known only as “Mama” died of pneumonia after police evicted her from Grand Central Terminal into the freezing cold on Christmas Eve. Outrage over her death led to the creation of The Doe Fund, named after the pseudonym used for those who have died anonymously while homeless. Every Christmas morning since then, The Doe Fund has held a candlelight vigil in Mama’s honor, drawing hundreds of formerly homeless individuals alongside fellow New Yorkers inspired to make a difference.
This year, The Doe Fund will host the Memorial at the Church of St. Agnes (143 E 43rd St). It was on the steps of this church where, in 1988, another homeless woman tragically died at just 19 years old — which in turn led to the founding of The Doe Fund’s flagship Ready, Willing & Able program. Ready, Willing & Able has since gone on to empower thousands of formerly homeless and incarcerated individuals by expanding access to economic opportunity.
The Doe Fund also invites individuals to get involved through its #DoeTogether holiday campaign — such as by raising awareness on social media, purchasing from a housing supplies wishlist for tenants in The Doe Fund’s permanent housing, or by lighting a virtual candle for the Memorial — at doe.org/doetogether.
