Community To Welcome New Warming Shelter This November

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In collaboration with the community, Holy Family Catholic Community will care for those experiencing homelessness in our area when they open the Holy
Family Warming Shelter this fall.

After learning that the city would not have a warming shelter this winter, Holy Family began working with the community to see how it could assist. The parish has
experience working with in-need populations in our community. These programs include feeding the hungry with its Blessed Bites program, which offers free weekly
meals on Tuesdays, and the Holy Family Outreach Center, which provides temporary shelter to refugees. Prior to serving refugees, the Outreach Center served as a day
warming shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness to get relief from winter weather.

After many conversations within the parish as well as with the larger Fond du Lac community, Holy Family decided to open the Holy Family Warming Shelter.

“As Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, ‘for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ We are blessed to be able to open the Holy Family
Warming Shelter and serve the community, and our Lord, in this way,” Holy Family Catholic Community Pastor Fr. Ryan J Pruess said.

The Holy Family Warming Shelter will open November 15 at 73 E. First St., a central location which is accessible to both public transportation and other organizations
downtown that offer support.

The Warming Shelter will operate on the Christian values of compassion, dignity, and care for people of all backgrounds and beliefs. It will offer up to 30 individuals a
warm, clean place to sleep; and hot, nutritious meals every night from November through April.

While the parish will run the Warming Shelter, it will thrive through the collaboration of the larger Fond du Lac community. “The need to provide shelter for the city’s homeless population has been an ongoing issue in Fond du Lac, one which many have worked to address. Most recently, The Salvation Army of Fond du Lac County led this effort at their warming shelter, and we thank them for their important service to our community,” Holy Family Director of Human Concerns Erin Cobb stated. “As we have in the past at our Holy Family Outreach Center, we are committed to working with government agencies, community organizations, and volunteers to provide the best care to those at the shelter, and tackle the issue of homelessness from all angles.”

“It is the parish’s hope that through the Warming Shelter, those who are struggling will be able to move forward and take steps towards a better life,” Cobb added.
Numerous sources will fund the Warming Shelter, including government grants, private donations, and corporate sponsorships. There will also be employment
opportunities at the shelter, as well as those to volunteer and donate food.

Those interested in supporting the shelter are invited to contact Erin Cobb at the Holy Family Parish Office at (920) 921-0580. For more information on the shelter, please
visit hffdl.org/warming-shelter.