According to a Thursday news release, the Bridge Emergency Shelter has received enough donations this month to exceed its $20,000 goal for a matching challenge grant.
The shelter announced in May that it had received $20,000 in challenge grant funds for a new location on North Park Street, and that the shelter would have to match the $20,000 with donations. Executive director Laurie Knutson said in the release that more than 50 individuals and businesses had donated to the shelter since the announcement. A total of $60,800 has been donated toward the new building.
Two people came forward with $10,000 each after the shelter had reached the matching goal, the release said. They wanted their money to be used for another fundraising challenge, so the shelter’s next goal is to reach $80,000 in donations by the end of July.
“It is amazing that not only our longtime supporters, but many that we had not previously heard from, are choosing to be part of this building project,” Knutson wrote in the release. “Our organization is uplifted by so many who want to support new hope and possibilities of housing for those less fortunate.”
The new Bridge location will include long-term supportive housing as well as a temporary winter shelter.