October 10, 2010 was a special day on the calendar because it denoted the one time that we can refer to: 10/10/10. There was much fanfare and media coverage about the date, as thousands of couples got married on what is believed to be a lucky day.

But there was something else happening on 10/10/10 that you probably didn’t hear much about. It marked the first World Homeless Day. The purpose is to draw attention to the needs of homeless people in your community and find ways to get involved and help.

The homeless numbers around the country are staggering: On any given night, there are an estimated 3.5 million homeless people in the U.S. And that number continues to rise as a result of an economic recession, job layoffs and home foreclosures.

The organizers behind World Homeless Day encouraged everyone to support local charities that help the homeless and to partner with schools, churches, service clubs, news outlets, and businesses to brainstorm ideas for fundraising and awareness projects. On the global front, organizers are offering to share great ideas with other countries in a collective effort to help the homeless.

It’s great to have an international day to focus attention on homelessness. But we need to be in a “World Homeless Day” frame of mind every day. Not just on the 10th day of the 10th month of the year. We live it every day here at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), where thousands of men, women and children seek shelter. Ask yourself, how are you making a difference in the lives of the homeless?