Two local shelters are staging Mother’s Day-themed fundraisers that offer the opportunity to purchase gifts with extra kick — the ability to help homeless women and men.
First up is the “Love is the Answer” online auction, which opens Thursday, April 28, at loveistheanswer.givesmart.com and continues through May 1. The virtual auction benefits Sister José Women’s Center, a shelter dedicated to serving homeless women.
“We are the only women’s shelter that accepts women and their pets, and that is a big deal for them. Many women will stay on the streets if they can’t bring their pets with them, and that is so dangerous. The number of assaults on homeless women is sad and shocking,” said Nicola Hartmann, chief operations officer.
Founded in 2009, the shelter serves women ages 18 and older and houses up to 40 homeless women and their pets nightly; it also offers day services such as showers, laundry, meals and other resources on site at 1050 S. Park Ave. Additionally, the center will offer a summer cooling station beginning May 2 to provide shade, air conditioning and cold drinks from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday for women and their pets in need of respite from the heat.
An average of 70 women each day utilize services at the center. Hartmann said that the numbers continue to increase and that rising rents are resulting in more elderly and first-time homeless women on the streets.
“Many of these people are on fixed incomes and they have been evicted. We had one woman in a wheelchair with her cat who is in her late 70s. It is so sad. People show up with everything they have and just don’t know what to do. This is a time in life when they should be relaxing and they have to worry about where they are going to stay and where they will end up,” said Hartmann.
Hartmann hopes that promoting awareness — about both the upcoming fundraiser about the center itself — will result in answers to the problem of homelessness.
“We are always trying to get the word out so people know what we are doing and understand the plight of these women who are often hidden in the community. When you see homeless people, you are more likely to see men; women hide more because they fear for their safety,” said Hartmann.
Art show
The community at St. Francis Shelter — stfrancisshelteraz.com — is also working to support the indigent with outreach and events such as the Mothers’ Day Art Show from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 7, at the St. Francis Community, 601 E. Fort Lowell Rd.
“There is a beautiful courtyard in the center of the grounds where the art show will take place. Mother’s Day weekend is a great time to buy art and the artists have agreed to donate a percent of sales to St. Francis Shelter because it is such a good cause. This helps everyone,” said Karen Smith, coordinator of the event and a member of the board of directors for St. Francis Shelter.
The shelter and food pantry is operated by a community of seven formerly homeless men that provide a variety of ministries. The shelter, which was formerly located at the inactive school on the grounds of Sacred Heart Church at 601 E. Fort Lowell Road., housed up to 100 homeless men nightly before COVID-19 forced its closure in 2020.
The nonprofit has since relocated to the inactive convent on the parish grounds and remodeled the space to provide limited housing for the St. Francis community. It also operates The All Saints House, which provides temporary housing, food, laundry, and amenities for homeless men. Additionally, it is exploring possibilities for a new winter shelter in partnership with the city of Tucson, according to CEO Carl Zawatski.
Other ministries include a twice-weekly food pantry from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays on the grounds of Sacred Heart Church. The food pantry offers free food boxes with meat, fresh vegetables, dairy, nonperishables and other items to anyone in need with no screening necessary.
The ministries are a labor of humanitarian love for those most in need, according to Zawatski.
“We know that lives are saved by the work we do and we hope to have another shelter up by winter. We can use all the help we can get with that, whether through financial donations, volunteering, or a new building. There is lots of work that goes into a shelter,” said Zawatski.
