The local SAM 25 organization will host an open house from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the SAM’s House shelter at 213 E. Green Bay St., Shawano. A house blessing will be conducted at 11 a.m.
The shelter will officially open at 5 p.m. Sunday to provide a warm shelter and meals to homeless people.
SAM’s House represents the first step in SAM 25’s mission to help reduce poverty and homelessness in Shawano County. The project has been aided by generous support from the community, but is still in need of support in many areas.
The group is seeking volunteers to help in the shelter operation, to provide meals, contribute consumable supplies, and provide financial contributions to cover facility and staffing expenses.
SAM 25 has a web page at www.sam25.org, which allows anyone to help support the project and learn more about the organization.
Contributions to SAM 25 are tax deductible and will be matched dollar-for-dollar by donations from the Shawano Area Community Fund and an individual grant.
A charity concert by Skip Jones and Friends on Oct. 17 raised $1,800 for SAM 25. A quilt sale and a variety of homemade bakery provided a refreshing intermission from the musical entertainment.
A fundraising concert by Skip and Zig Zeitler’s group, which specializes in Irish music, is being planned for March.