Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader File Photo Located at 213 E. Green Bay St. in Shawano, the SAM’s House homeless shelter opens Nov. 1 for its second season of emergency overnight housing.
A concert tour aimed at combating homelessness arrives in Shawano this weekend for a performance to benefit the SAM’s House homeless shelter.
“On The Streets” is the theme of the multimedia concert scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church, 1254 S. Union St.
Musicians will perform along with poetry readings and photography exhibitions, in an event designed to promote greater awareness of the plight of the homeless.
“It’s powerful stuff,” said Joel Kroenke, a Shawano musician who will be among those performing.
Admission for the event is a suggested donation of $15 or $20 each, with all proceeds benefiting SAM’s House, which is kicking off its second year of service Nov. 1.
Located at 213 E. Green Bay St., the shelter provided more than 600 nights of emergency housing during its first year, serving 50 adults and eight children. The facility operates overnight during the cold-weather months between November and April.
The local nonprofit group known as Shawano Area Matthew 25 opened the shelter after two years of discussion and planning.
Jennifer Laude Bisterfeldt, executive director of SAM’s House, said the “On The Streets” concert event comes while she is working with staff and volunteers to get ready for the shelter’s second season. The event will help promote awareness and generate some additional resources for the coming season, Bisterfeldt said.
Awareness is important, she said, because few people can imagine trying to survive a Wisconsin winter without a place to live, as opposed to being homeless in a warm climate.
“It’s especially hard in Wisconsin,” she said. “If you don’t have a place to go at night, it’s especially difficult.”
The artistic collaboration behind the “On The Streets” tour began during a 2015 group retreat in Minnesota. Inspired by stories of winter homelessness, Kroenke composed new songs on his harmonica along with guitarist Yata Peinovich and violinist Dalyce Elliott.
After recording their new songs, the group kicked off a tour that took them to St. Paul, Minnesota, and elsewhere before heading for Shawano.
The show includes poetry readings and photography, also with the “On The Streets” theme.
Kroenke said the tour has raised about $15,000 in other communities, and he hopes this weekend’s show will provide a boost to SAM’s House. The venue at Zion Lutheran Church can accommodate about 300 people.