The Longest Night is a fundraising and community awareness event supporting the Bancroft House, a privately funded and operated homeless shelter in Franconia. Founded in 1982, the Bancroft House provides sanctuary for the homeless in the North Country at little or no cost to those in need. The Bancroft House has provided food and shelter for hundreds of family members over the years and will continue in this mission with your generous support of this event.
As of October, over 1700 bed nights have been provided to individuals and families, a record to date for the past four years. The demand continues to grow with the success of The Longest Night becoming more critical each year.
The Longest Night is a twelve hour camp-out on December 21st, the Winter Solstice and longest night of the year. Participants will spend the evening sleeping in personal tents or cardboard boxes on the Dow Field in Franconia experiencing homelessness for one evening of the year; a reality that many experience throughout the year.
In the event of bitterly cold temperatures that threaten the health and safety of participants, Franconia Community Church will open its doors to provide alternative shelter to participants. Participants enjoy a humble dinner are provided by local restaurants and gather around several bonfires that burn throughout the evening.
Participants ask for pledges in support of his/her committing to spending December 21st “temporarily homeless” for one night, eating and sleeping out-of-doors from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM. (The Registration-Pledge sheet is available on the Bancroft House "News & Events" web page.)
