Summer is coming!
We’re bracing for an increase of requests for food from homeless and hungry families trying to make do without school breakfasts and lunches.
We also see single moms who have no way to work without some kind of daycare that they cannot afford. That drives up homelessness even more at a time of year when giving to St. Matthew’s House typically drops off.
We scramble to help as many families as we can.
You may be thinking we have plenty of time to get ready. But the last day of school is May 31 for a lot of local children.
We can’t wait until the last minute.
We especially see the requests for direct assistance from our food bank skyrocket during the summer months.
The good news is, we cover all of our operating costs through our social ministries, including our car wash, catering, cafe, and thrift stores! That means, 100% of every dollar you give today will go directly to work providing food and the kind of life-changing help that changes lives for good here at St. Matthews House.
Your gift of $57.66 is enough to feed 31 homeless children!
Each $1.86 is enough to provide a meal, plus the kind of life-changing care that can give someone hope and a second chance at life.
You may have seen in the news that Collier County School District recently reported 1,150 children in their district are homeless this year.
That’s a shocking increase of 30% over last year.Hurricane Irma may well have something to do with that.
In fact, there are now about 460 homeless children living in Collier County because of the impact of last year’s hurricanes.
You know firsthand what a traumatizing storm that was. But we know through the love of Christ, these children and their families can have a brighter future. The hardship and hunger they are going through now doesn’t have to determine who they are.
Mother’s Day is just another stressful day for a homeless mom who struggles to provide food and safe shelter for her children. There’s no better time to show a mom that God hasn’t forgotten her, and assure her that her children will have enough to eat, plus a chance for a brighter future.
Your Mother’s Day gift will provide meals for her children and the kind of care that can break the cycle of homelessness and poverty for good.
Because each $18.60 is enough to provide 10 meals, your gift of any size will go a long way, to help rescue at least one mom and her children from the streets.
We can’t wait until the last minute to stock the shelves with food.
We also need clothing, hygiene items, and all the other supplies it takes to run a feeding ministry and shelter like ours.
Our three decades of service here in Naples has equipped us to care for homeless families with dignity and compassion. But we only help people in crisis day-by-day through your generous support.
Your gift today will help determine how many families we can help this summer. It’s that important! And your meals will be the most important ones of all for the families that receive them.
I hope you will pray for the great need we are facing, and give as generously as you can.
Vann Ellison
President & CEO
St. Matthew’s House
Tags: Mother's Day