AUBURN — The Lewiston Auburn Alliance for Services to the Homeless (LAASH) will sponsor a candlelight vigil from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21, in memory of those who are homeless and those who have died homeless.

The National Memorial Day for the Homeless vigil will be held on the corner of Court and Turner streets across from Auburn Hall and the Androscoggin County Courthouse. Participants may bring a food item to be donated to a local shelter.

“The vigil, which has been held for nearly a decade on the Lewiston side of the bridge, is being held across the river in Auburn again this year,” said Bob Rowe, committee chairman.

He said, “The current great recession has put pressure on vulnerable populations; the poor, the young and the elderly who are at risk of homelessness and this year, more than ever before, they need our support during the holiday season.”

LAASH and the cities of Lewiston and Auburn last year adopted a 10-year plan to end homelessness in the communities. Progress has been made, however shelters are seeing increasing numbers of homeless families.

To learn more about the Lewiston/Auburn plan to end homelessness, call Larry Marcoux at the United Way of Androscoggin County at 795-4000. To participate in local efforts to assist the homeless, the Lewiston Auburn Alliance for Services to the Homeless meets the first Wednesday of every month at noon at Lewiston City Hall.

For more information regarding the vigil, call New Beginnings at 795-4077.