Brewer -
No matter what the weather brings this weekend, a group of recovering addicts will be snowbound in Brewer.
They're spending 3,000 minutes in an igloo to represent the 3,000 miles they'll walk in the spring.
For more than two days, this burrowed out snowbank on Center Street in Brewer will be home to Jody Forrest and her friends.
"What do people in Maine in the middle of winter do? They freeze, so why not stay outside and freeze?"
But they'll be freezing for a reason - raising awareness and money for addiction recovery.
"Most especially in the military community and the veteran community," says H. Blake Manz, organizer of the 3,000 Miles for Recovery. "People are afraid to ask for that help, for any number of reasons. And we want to get the message out that there is help there and there is another side too it."
Besides extra clothes and a campfire, they'll have thoughts of a trip in April to keep them warm.
That's when this group will walk 3,000 miles from Bangor to Phoenix.
Zachary Winship says, "I thought when I got sober, I was not going to have anymore fun doing stuff like this. I'm out here with a lot of friends supporting a great cause and gives you a purpose."
Manz says, "All of the money raised from this, half will go to the Bangor Area Recovery Network and the other half's going to be distributed to veterans organizations that we see along the way."
Even if only one person gets clean and sober from this campaign, Forrest says the winter campout and then a four-month walk will be worth it.
"I just want that one person that I can help to step forward and accept that help. And maybe that one person can pass it along."
The campout ends at noon on Sunday.
Anyone is welcome to stop by the igloo, drop off a donation and stay awhile.
You'll find the campers at 142 Center Street in Brewer.
For more information, log on to their Facebook page, 3,000 Miles for Recovery.