From Deseret News archives:

Presents and pizza at shelter's jolly July holiday

Homeless enjoy seventh annual summer Christmas

Published: Saturday, July 14, 2007 12:11 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Children run happily past a Christmas tree, while others busily decorate sugar cookies. Santa's jolly laugh can be heard nearby as Mrs. Claus and a smiling family roll past on a horse-drawn carriage.

It's not the kind of scene you might expect to see at a homeless shelter. And it's certainly not the kind of scene you expect to see in July. The seventh annual Christmas in July was held at the Road Home shelter Friday.

Volunteers gave out backpacks filled with books, toys, toiletries and more to the homeless families at the shelter and a horse drawn-carriage provided free rides throughout the day. In the shelter's courtyard, some children bounced inside a huge inflatable castle, while volunteers led others in arts and crafts projects, such as ornament-making. For lunch, they were served pizza.

The event's organizers hold it in July because donations and volunteer hours at shelters like the Road Home usually decrease during summer months, said Jeannie Gamble of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors, which puts on the event. People are often more eager to contribute their time and resources during the holidays, but the homeless can be forgotten during the summer, she said.

All the presents and money were donated or bought with donated money, Gamble said, and the labor is performed by volunteer Realtors.

Story continues below
The Road Home, at 210 S. Rio Grande St., houses 475 homeless people at a time, said Jennifer Paulsen, volunteer coordinator at the shelter. There are 31 families, 75 single women and 275 single men staying at the shelter at any given time, and there is always a waiting list.

The Road Home employs 80 people full time, and receives enough volunteer hours each year to equal the work of eight more full-time employees, Paulsen said. More than half of its funding comes from private donations, with the rest coming from state, federal and local governments.


E-mail: dfelix@desnews.com

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image
Jennifer Ackerman, Deseret Morning News

Justin Ivins, 6, visits with Santa Claus during the annual Christmas in July at the Road Home shelter in Salt Lake City on Friday.

previousnext

Latest comments

Is talking about religion taboo?

Parallel to the training of the body a struggle against the poisoning of the...

Is talking about religion taboo?

We shouldn't talk about religion, so everyone quit posting their comments...

This on the heals of the global warming scam that was uncovered. Can we...

@ 1st Pagan: Gay marriage represents a conflictual paradigm shift to...

Morales' Cup appearance cut short

At half time Beckerman had 3.5 miles, I don"t know how many he had for the...

Plenty on line for rivalry game

You Ute fans are hilarious. Don't you guys realize the Utes actually had a...

Bronco, Kyle rubber match

QB: BYU wins. It is good to support and believe in ones QB, but right now...

Better recheck those BCS rankings, Skippy.

I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so. - Adolf Hitler,...

'Recently many gay groups have supported actions against the Mormon Church.'...

Advertisements