FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Dave Norris
PACEM
Phone: 434-465-1391
cvilledave@hotmail.com
Homeless Shelter Opens for Cold Winter Nights
PACEM shelters 15 homeless guests this weekend
CHARLOTTESVILLE November 10, 2008 - This weekend, People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry (PACEM), welcomed 15 homeless guests into its safe, warm, interfaith, congregation-based shelter. Guests received nutritious meals and compassionate care from PACEM staff and volunteers. As community awareness about the opening of the shelter spreads and as nights get colder, PACEM expects its nightly census to increase.
“We are so grateful to our congregational partners and our financial donors for making this successful opening weekend possible,” says Dave Norris, Executive Director of PACEM. “It is heartening to know that no one in Charlottesville is going to have to sleep outside during the rest of this winter, thanks to PACEM’s efforts.”
PACEM, now in its fifth year of operation, provides winter shelter and year-round support for homeless men, women and families. PACEM partners with over 60 congregations of all faiths, dozens of community organizations and local businesses, and thousands of volunteers to carry out its mission. With continued financial support from generous community members, PACEM will provide winter shelter services through Mid-March, however, with additional financial support, PACEM will stay open through all of the cold winter nights – through the last frost date in April.
Donations to cover shelter operating costs can be made online at www.pacemshelter.org or by mail to PACEM, P.O. Box 14, Charlottesville, Va. 22902.
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About PACEM
Since 2004, PACEM, an inter-faith, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has been serving the homeless population of Charlottesville, Va. year-round by providing shelter, meals, compassionate support and access to services. Since its inception, PACEM has provided over 20,750 nights of shelter and over 60,000 meals to over 600 different homeless individuals through its congregation-based winter shelter program, and another 268 nights of hotel lodging through its Women and Children’s Emergency Lodging Program. For more information about PACEM, visit www.pacemshelter.org or contact Dave Norris, PACEM’s Executive Director, at 434-465-1391 or at cvilledave@hotmail.com.
