Super Stars

Volunteers raise $68,000 for Shelter

The Community Shelter of Union County celebrated a successful first-time, volunteer-driven peer-to-peer fundraising campaign recently.

“We are thrilled with the volunteers’ effort,” commented CEO Melissa McKeown. “They were amazing, raising more than $68,000 in less than a month.”

The Community Shelter Super Stars campaign had 56 volunteers commit to raising $1,000 each – any way they wanted. Several volunteers raised more than $1,000.

Some brought their children into the effort, with the youth selling lemonade or working a yard sale. Others conducted a letter writing campaign or asked for donations at their business. Better Car People and CEO/Chief of Ideas Matthew Belk stepped up to be the presenting sponsor.

Super Stars was headed by honorary chair Sheriff Eddie Cathey and volunteers Kathy Bragg, retired CEO of the Shelter, and Jordan Griffin Rowell, partner with Leitner, Bragg & Griffin law firm Monroe.

Funds will be used to support the Shelter’s three lines of service – emergency shelter, food and rehousing.

“Essentially, the Community Shelter is the safety net for our Union County neighbors who struggle with food and housing insecurities,” McKeown said during the celebration. “This month marks two years since we moved into our new facility, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

“We were just getting settled when Covid hit, and because we were ready with the proper space, we were able to respond in the way that our community needed.”

During the first 12 months of Covid, the Shelter provided 26,189 nights of emergency shelter to adult men, women and children. More than 200 individuals moved out of the emergency shelter back into independent housing.

The Shelter also distributed nearly 800,000 pounds of food through drive-thru pantries and assisted 262 households on the brink of homelessness with nearly $900,000 of federal eviction prevention funds.

“All of this work is possible because of donors like these Super Stars,” McKeown said.

McKeown described how each $1,000 impacts community neighbors in need:

• Provides 80 overnight stays in the emergency shelter.
• Provides one and a half months of eviction prevention assistance.
• Provides upfront moving assistance to a household moving from the shelter to independent housing.
• Provides two weeks of groceries for 50 households.