Ogden shelter gets a reprieve

OGDEN — St. Anne's Shelter was nearly down for the count, looking at closure by year's end. But residents and businesses have rallied with cash and food after learning of the shelter's plight.

St. Anne's, like most organizations feeding and housing the poor, has faced tough times recently as donations dried up. Director Anna Jane Arroyo feared the shelter would have to close its doors by January if sufficient funds and food donations weren't received.

"I was getting really worried," she said. "We were having to stretch the food we had and the only meat we had was in canned stew we got from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since the word has gotten out, people are starting to respond."

America First Credit Union's community outreach program started the ball rolling in St. Anne's favor with a $4,600 donation earlier this month.

"I think there is a general attitude that someone else is taking care of the problem," America First outreach director Keicha Ballif said.

The credit union normally gives funds collected from its members to eight charities, including St. Anne's, but decided this year to cut back on the other seven so the shelter could get more.

"I was so overcome by the check from America First, when they handed it to me all I could do was break down and cry," Arroyo said. "I thought, 'Yeah, we're going to make it.' It was a spiritual reassurance and words are not sufficient to express our gratitude to America First and other churches and organizations."

St. Anne's is a community-based program and is not part of Ogden's Catholic community, she said. It operates 96 beds for adults and six beds for children. Most nights, all the beds are full.

"We've had to turn away three families and 14 individuals recently in one night," she said. "Today, we took in four referrals for rest beds from local hospitals."

When someone is discharged from a hospital and has no place to go, the shelter has beds reserved for them. The LDS Church's Humanitarian Department just gave the shelter 95 new mattresses, for which Arroyo is thankful. She is encouraged by community response, noting the food pantry is still low on food, but not bare.

Arroyo has been director for four months and said a lack of fund-raising for the shelter has hurt.

"It's still scary, but the $4,600 got us over the hump and we'll make it into January," she said. "If it all comes together like I hope it does, I can spend time writing grant proposals and we'll get more money."