Pinellas Park, FL: Most Reverend Gregory L. Parkes, the recently installed fifth Bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, will bless seventy-six new efficiency units for the homeless located at Pinellas Hope. Following the blessing, Bishop Parkes will tour Pinellas Hope and then help serve dinner to the residents.
What: Blessing of New Efficiency Housing Units, Tour of Pinellas Hope and the Hope Cottages™, Serving Dinner to Residents
Who: Bishop Gregory Parkes and volunteers from St. Brendan and Blessed Sacrament Catholic Churches who will have cooked dinner and brought it to Pinellas Hope to serve to the residents.
When: Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Blessing of New Units at 5:00 p.m. with the tour immediately following. Dinner will be served to residents at around 6:00 p.m.
Where: Pinellas Hope campus (5726 126th Avenue N., Clearwater, FL 33760)
Why: The new efficiency units add more affordable housing in the local community. As Bishop Parkes stated about his upcoming visit, “We have much darkness in our world and our community. Pinellas Hope is one of the many bright lights providing care for the poor and marginalized as we strive to bring the Lord’s love, mercy, and compassionate presence to others.”
Hope Cottages™ is the innovative new shelter initiative of Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg located at Pinellas Hope, wherein 20-foot steel shipping containers are converted to 3-room living quarters in order to replace tents and provide enhanced safety, security, and comfort to residents.
Pinellas Hope is a shelter ministry of Catholic Charities that provides a comprehensive array of services and temporary, emergency shelter to homeless individuals. Please respect the privacy of the residents and ask permission before filming them.
For more information, please contact Lou Ricardo, the Director of Marketing & Donor Relations for Catholic Charities, at (727) 270-0318.
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About Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg: Catholic Charities, an accredited non-profit agency for 70+ years, is a leader in serving the poor and vulnerable within Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties. Under the auspices of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, it served over 14,300 individuals last year with services including but not limited to providing food and shelter, immigration and refugee assistance, respite care and medical screening, and pregnancy and adoption assistance. Learn more at www.ccdosp.org
About Pinellas Hope: Pinellas Hope, a ministry of Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg opened in December 2007 to address the need to provide the homeless with temporary shelter. What began as a pilot program has assisted over 6,600 men and women with shelter, food and related services, returning nearly 3,400 to stable, permanent housing. Additional information is available at www.pinellashope.org.