Patrick T. Sullivan, The Courier-Journal
Louisville homeless shelters are struggling with a lack of volunteers and low donations amid increased summer needs. City shelters see more people during the summer than any other season, but donations and volunteers are scarce then, said Natalie Harris, director of the Coalition for the Homeless. The summer heat is driving the needy to shelters, and since June 1 there have been five “white flag” days when the heat index topped 95 and shelters were allowed to exceed capacity. Wayside Christian Mission, which runs Hotel Louisville and a shelter on Jefferson Street, receives around 55 percent of its annual donations in the winter months. Only about 10 percent roll in during the summer, said Nina Moseley, the charity’s chief operating officer…
St. Vincent de Paul is seeing more than 100 extra people at its nightly dinners, executive director Ed Wnorowski said. The campus on South Preston Street normally serves about 300 people for dinner each night, but has lately seen an average of 450. While summer donations are sparse, St. Vincent is getting relief from a Dare to Care food bank that opened last week on campus. The food bank serves about 60 families a month, but Wnorowski said the new food bank helped 39 families the day it opened. St. Vincent partners with area Catholic churches, and their parishioners often assist the needy in their respective ZIP codes, but Wnorowski said the campus can always use more volunteers.
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