In an old kitchen in the basement of Trinity Lutheran Church every Thursday evening, a small group works on eradicating homelessness.

Back in spring 2006, Carrie's Kids Task Force was officially born to fight homelessness.

The task force estimates 800 individuals are living in the Bismarck-Mandan community for whom homelessness is a daily struggle. Some at least have their families; others go at it alone with as little as just the clothes on their backs.

On Friday, a troop of volunteers will assemble at Trinity Lutheran Church, expecting overwhelming victory, if just for one day. Their battle plan: an event called "Project Homeless Connect," a complete, one-stop shop offering services ranging from haircuts and health-care vouchers to free school supplies for kids.

"Even one success is substantial," said Dwight Hegel, self-declared Carrie's Kids promotion director.

Hegel relates stories like those of an entire family sharing one bowl of ramen for supper or of a young boy who didn't have a bed but was ecstatic to receive even a blanket he didn't have to share, to call his very own. These and other stories are what motivate the task force, Hegel said.

Project Homeless Connect is becoming a sort of trademark name for an event that has been going on across the country, according to Mary Magnusson, executive director of the North Dakota Coalition for Homeless People.

It was started in 2004 by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. The same year, President Bush appointed a national interagency council on homelessness. In 2005, Gov. John Hoeven appointed a state-level homelessness council.

Carrie's Kids' namesake, Carrie Grosz, whose day job is working with homeless students in the Bismarck Public Schools, heard about Project Homeless Connect at a National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth conference. When she got back, she approached the 10-member task force with the idea. They said sure.

Curiously, no one bothered being concerned about the hefty price tag Project Homeless Connect events can carry. That's because this particular task force is results-oriented. Or "optimistic," which is Hegel's adjective of choice.

"There's never been something so huge that we've needed $10,000 or anything, but I don't think that would be a problem," Hegel said.

"This event will cost thousands, and we won't have paid for anything. Some people say it's a God thing; others say it's luck. Isay call it whatever you want," Hegel said. "If you honestly, sincerely have a worthy cause, people are willing to help out."

And that's exactly what people have done.

Hegel, a business owner himself, enthusiastically details the support from local businesses. They've gotten everything they thought they could need, even some things they didn't think of.

In almost every other location, Project Homeless Connect is coordinated by the respective city's 10-year planning committee. Bismarck-Mandan's is called In From the Cold. Carrie's Kids and In From the Cold do not work directly together. This is because Carrie's Kids was established some time before the city planning group came together.

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness was responsible for initially promoting Project Homeless Connect, even making kits available. And that's how it caught on.

"It's innovative. Never before have they tried to engage homeless people with a one-stop shop," Magnusson said.

But that's what Grosz and her task force have been doing since the beginning. Their beneficiaries include a smattering of businesses, nonprofit groups, government agencies and private individuals. Whether Project Homeless Connect is coordinated by a city planning council or a community organization, the success of the event hinges on a communitywide, unified effort.

"In creating awareness and seeking support, it makes people realize it is in their community. If you (only) wrote grants you don't get that," Grosz said.

Asking for support always has been the easy part, Grosz said.

"I think Bismarck-Mandan is an incredible community to live in. I think they're generous. They're extremely passionate, and Ithink they know when things are really working," Grosz said.

That's why no one on the Carrie's Kids task force gets worried about paying for things like this. And that's why Grosz isn't worried about those few extra volunteers she still needs. They'll turn up. They always do.

It's all happening from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 310 E. Ave. A, Bismarck. Free services provided include food, clothing, housing assistance, eye exams, hair cuts, medical assistance, school supplies and more.