Churches Raise Money to Keep Homeless Fed

A coalition of local church organizations will continue funding meals for the homeless at the Catholic Worker’s center, 343 16th St., until the San Diego Rescue Mission can reopen, the Regional Task Force of the Homeless announced.

The task force also said that a $6,000 donation will provide shelter for up to 30 homeless women at the downtown YWCA.

An average of 367 hot meals a night have been served at the center since the mission closed because of financial difficulty Oct. 7. The United Methodist Urban Ministry and the task force organized a the church coalition to raise money for the meals. The meals are purchased from Catholic Worker Inc. for $1 each, said Frank Landerville, task force spokesman.

The $6,000 donation from Country Friends Inc. of Rancho Santa Fe and the Parker Foundation will provide housing for women at the YWCA “during the next few weeks,” Landerville said.

One out of three homeless people are able to find shelter each night in San Diego, Landerville said, adding that the task force is particularly concerned about women because many are “ill-equiped for surviving on the streets for extended periods of time.”