On Monday, Jan. 19, hundreds of volunteers nationwide joined ACORN members canvassing high-foreclosure neighborhoods in 30 cities, providing information and assistance to families with troubled loans as part of President-elect Barack Obama's National Service Day.

ACORN volunteers served tens of thousands of families, collected petition signatures in support of Obama and ACORN's demand for a 90-day moratorium, and invited residents to join ACORN's "Homesteading" foreclosure campaign.

Florida State Rep. Scott Randolph and County Commissioner Bill Segal joined more than 50 Orlando ACORN members and volunteers canvassing the Azalea Park neighborhood.

Colorado State Representative Jeanne Labuda joined volunteers and ACORN members from Aurora and Denver, where canvassers signed up nearly 200 campaign supporters in two hours.

With more than 50 volunteers arriving at the Houston ACORN office the morning of the day of service, they split up into two groups – 30 people canvassed neighborhoods while 20 stayed inside for phone banking. Both groups found families facing foreclosure who plan to attend the next foreclosure prevention meeting with Houston ACORN.

Among the approximately 40 volunteers arriving at the Oakland ACORN office were the President of the local Teacher's Union, the head of the city's largest non-profit developer, and a City Council member. An attorney with ACORN helped 14 homeowners and tenants on the spot, while volunteers found nearly 50 people who signed up to help out with the campaign.

ACORN members and volunteers in Baltimore were joined by three people from New York City and Connecticut who were on their way to the Presidential inauguration and wanted to get involved.

Nationally, more than 2 million families lost their homes to foreclosure in 2008, and millions more will be threatened this year. The cost to our economy is staggering: the Joint Economic Committee estimates a cost of $78,000 per foreclosure, totaling at least $156 billion in 2008.