Project Refuge Homeless Shelter has served the needy for the last three months and moves to a new location tonight.
The temporary shelter opened Nov. 30 and has been housing people in the gymnasium of New Life Christian Church, 744 S. CR 325E, Warsaw, off of U.S. 30. Salvation Army, New Life Christian Church and the Greater Warsaw Ministerial Association opened the temporary homeless shelter.Ken Locke, Salvation Army community ministries director, said the shelter will extend its services for another month to March 29. It will move to Salvation Army, 501 Arthur St., Warsaw.
The original plan was for the shelter to close Feb. 28, but the organizations felt a need to extend the time frame of services.
"We wanted to be committed to covering October through March every year," Locke said. Locke said an anonymous female donor contributed funds for the shelter to stay open another month.
The shelter needs churches willing to be shelter partners, food and personal items donations, and financial gifts and prayer.
Jerry and Jody Eccles will continue to serve as shelter managers.
There have been 320 guests served at the shelter over the past three months. The total accounts for 81 guests served in December; 91 guests in January; and 148 guests in February. The numbers account for people who were served anywhere from one night, a few weeks or up to a month.
Locke said the shelter has served an average of six to eight people a night.
Those who stay at the shelter receive dinner and breakfast and have sleeping quarters and showers provided.
Check-in will still be at 7 p.m. seven days a week at the Salvation Army and will end at 10 p.m. each night. Those who stay at the shelter will again be required to leave at 7 a.m. each morning, but will be allowed to return at 7 p.m. each night.
A fundraiser to raise money for the shelter will be March 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at New Harvest Church of the Nazarene, Ind. 15S.
The fundraiser will be a spaghetti luncheon with spaghetti, green beans, salad, apple sauce, bread and butter, dessert, coffee or punch.
For more information about the shelter or ways to help, call the Salvation Army at 574-267-5361 or the Project Refuge Homeless Shelter after 6 p.m. at 574-268-7588.
