On Tuesday, Fr. Matthew went up in a crane above the Holy Family Warming Shelter roof with two goals: to stand in solidarity with our neighbors experiencing homelessness, and to raise $55,000 for the warming shelter—the equivalent of 25% of its operating costs for this season.

To say we achieved these goals would be an understatement. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, from the time we announced our Reverend on the Roof event in October through Tuesday, we raised a staggering $194,642.81—nearly four times our goal—to care for our neighbors in need!

It is hard to find the words to convey our gratitude. We are blown away by the support that you have all given the Holy Family Warming Shelter from its start. Time after time, year after year, you continue to show the amazing giving heart of our community, and for that, we are most grateful.

We were moved by the hundreds of people who came to the shelter on Tuesday to take a tour and cheer on Fr. Matthew as he stayed in the crane for two hours and forty minutes, throwing him cookies, buying him lunch, and bringing him a warm hat and gloves.

Throughout the day, we were blessed to be joined by several community leaders and have conversations with them about the experience of those who are unhoused and how we collaborate to assist them. This included Executive Director of Solutions Center and St. Katharine Drexel Homeless Shelter Amy Loof, City of Fond du Lac Police Department Mental Health and Wellness Specialist Officer Brooke Mathes, SSM Health Community Health Specialist – Senior Laura Nakielski, BS, Fond du Lac City Manager Joe Moore, Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Charities – Fond du Lac Outreach Manager Luz Cortes, and City Council President and Fond du Lac County Board Member Tiffany Brault.

To view these important conversations, check out our playlist on YouTube, available here.  

Thank you to everyone who participated in this event! We are blessed to live in such a supportive, kind community that continually rallies to help those who are in need.

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Presenting Sponsors: Ahern Gross Plumbing, Ledgevest Financial,

and Uecker-Witt Funeral Home & Cremation Center

Hourly sponsors include C.D. Smith Construction, Capelle Bros. & Diedrich Inc., Elaine Graf, First Weber Realtors, Holiday Automotive, Hopper’s Screen Printing, Society Insurance, Summit Automotive, and Twohig Family Dentistry, as well as shared hourly sponsors Gilles Frozen Custard and Mercury Marine, and Adashun Jones Real Estate Inc. and the Knights of Columbus Council 664.

We would also like to thank Fondy Famous and M. W. Tighe Roofing Contractors for their support.