On December 1st, St. Francis House leased and began operating a motel to be used as a temporary winter shelter in response to the reduced capacity of existing shelters due to COVID. This auxiliary shelter is helping to ensure homeless individuals have a safe place to stay and can comply with the safety guidelines from the CDC.
Thanks to a generous donation from a board member of St. Francis House, the “elves” have been working hard to make the holidays come alive for the men, women, and people residing there this season!
Decorations and Christmas trees adorn hotel common areas, made with ornaments created by guests and staff. Guests will receive gift packs – a backpack stuffed with ear warmers, a scarf, a hat, gloves, gourmet candies, socks, and some other fun items. On Christmas Day, there will be Christmas music playing throughout the halls, and a hot chocolate bar with lots of sugary fixings will be available for a sweet treat – all provided in COVID-style to ensure everyone’s safety. In addition, there will be socially distanced bingo throughout the day.
Thanks to the generosity of one of our board members, guests will also be served a special menu for Christmas! On Christmas Eve, we’ll be serving lasagna, with caesar salad, and toasted garlic bread. On Christmas Day we’ll have frittata, potatoes, fresh fruit, and donuts for breakfast, sliced beef tenderloin and au gratin potatoes for lunch, and a special seared steak with mushroom sauce, roasted vegetables, and cake for dinner.
We are so grateful that we were able to convert this motel into safe lodging for vulnerable men, women, and people with nowhere else to turn and fill it with Christmas cheer.
