In our 2026-2027, the Holy Family Warming Shelter served more than 120 adults in our area experiencing homelessness, washed 28 loads of laundry on average per night, and over the season, provided more than 18,300 meals. This does not include the more than 1,200 meals we served to those who came to our door in need of food.

The need for the Holy Family Warming Shelter remains as great as ever. But we cannot meet it on our own. Like many things in life, we do better when we work together and for the past three years, our community, including you, has never failed to offer its support.

We saw this last year when we hosted Reverend on the Roof and challenged Fr. Matthew Kirk to stay on the roof of the Warming Shelter all day—no matter the weather—until he met his goal of $55,000, a quarter of the shelter’s 2025-2026 budget. It took less than two hours to meet this goal and by day’s end, our community had it exceeded it not once over, not twice, but nearly four times over to raise more than $195,000. We were blown away. It was truly an incredible testament to the kindness and love of Fond du Lac.

This year, we are asking you to help us do it again.

Beginning at 10:00 am on Wednesday, November 18 our pastor, Very Rev. Ryan Pruess, will go onto the roof of the Holy Family Warming Shelter with two goals: to help raise awareness about homelessness in our community, and to meet our goal of $200,000 to cover the operational costs of the shelter for this season. What does that mean exactly? It means that:

• We will be fully staffed with compassionate workers doing works of mercy.

• Our building can continue to work well and be a place of warmth and refuge for those who don’t have a place to sleep at night.

• We can help restore dignity to those the world often treat as invisible by providing clean clothes, access to showers, and three meals every day.

Throughout the day on November 18, we invite you to stop by the Warming Shelter, say hello, and learn more about what we do at the shelter and how our community works together to care for those experiencing homelessness.

Every donation we receive between now and November 18 will go towards this goal. If you want to help Fr. Ryan while he is on the roof, you can send him warm items, food, drinks, comforts, and bathroom passes for a donation. Any donation, no matter how much, is appreciated.

Many times, the realities of homelessness are often hidden. It is our hope that this day can serve as a small reminder of what our neighbors in need experience if there is no shelter —wind, cold, rain, snow, without any warm reprieve. Conditions that none of us would, or should, have to endure.

If you’d like to contribute, you can send a check to the Holy Family Warming Shelter with “Reverend on the Roof” in the memo line to Holy Family Catholic Community, 271 Fourth Street Way. If you’d like to contribute online, please click the button below.