Orange Park haunted trail raises funds for Clay County homeless families

An Orange Park couple is turning Halloween scares into support for Clay County families facing homelessness.

Amanda and Roy Glass opened the Pergamum Haunt and Escape Room for its third season Saturday, Oct. 10, at 2909 Barbara Lane. Proceeds from this year's ticket sales will benefit Mercy Support Services, a Clay County nonprofit that helps families facing homelessness find stable housing and become self-sufficient, Clay Today reported.

The attraction will return Oct. 17, 24 and 31, with two Halloween experiences available each night.

Haunted trail and escape room offer two ways to get scared

The outdoor haunted trail takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and features 20 to 30 volunteer actors performing in elaborate scenes.

Visitors can also enter Keeper of the Crypt, an escape room set inside a mausoleum where participants must solve the mystery of a missing caretaker.

Admission costs $10 per experience, and visitors can purchase tickets for either attraction or both. Reservations are required through pergamumhaunt.com.

The haunt operates from 7 to 11 p.m. on its remaining dates and is recommended for ages 12 and older. Small groups are admitted at scheduled times to limit waiting.

The Glasses construct their sets and make their props by hand, changing the attractions' storylines each season.

Amanda Glass told Clay Today that the months of preparation can be exhausting, but hearing visitors scream on opening night makes the work worthwhile.

The couple began hosting charitable haunted attractions in Ohio about a decade ago, operating their original event for six years. After moving to Florida in 2023, they brought the concept to Orange Park and added an escape room.

Their first Florida season attracted approximately 120 visitors, with attendance growing in subsequent years, according to Clay Today.

Ticket proceeds support Clay County housing programs

Previous seasons benefited First Coast Women's Services, helping provide diapers, formula, bassinets and other supplies to families.

This year's beneficiary, Mercy Support Services, provides supportive housing, financial education, life skills training and individualized assistance to families experiencing housing instability.

The nonprofit works to help families transition from temporary assistance toward independent living.

Carmen Queen, Mercy's director of development, told News4JAX in May that the organization had received more than 800 calls during the previous year from families concerned about losing their housing.

The nonprofit also reported that every family completing its self-sufficiency program had transitioned into independent housing. That figure reflects the organization's reported outcomes for program graduates, not all families seeking assistance.

Mercy is developing Mercy Village, a planned supportive housing community in Clay County.

According to the organization's project website, the development is planned to include 34 supportive housing units for families and young adults experiencing or facing homelessness.

The organization says the first 14 units are fully funded and construction has begun.