Friday, October 23rd will be a very exciting day as we have teamed up with the Greater Owensboro Realtor Association and Kentucky Legend for the first ever Aid the Homeless Textathon.

We have been and will continue to shine the spotlight on the shelters and services in Owensboro that always go the extra mile or ten to provide the invaluable assistance on which so many in our community depend.

Today, we take at the Daniel Pitino Shelter, 501 Walnut Street.

In 1993, Father Ed Bradley was the pastor at Saint Stephen's Cathedral. It was through his work with the cathedral's soup kitchen that made him realize there was a greater need in the city of Owensboro, thus the concept for the Daniel Pitino Shelter (named for former UK and U of L head coach Rick Pitino's infant son, who died in 1987).

The Daniel Pitino Shelter is a non-profit and non-denominational organization supported by private funding.

Take a look at the shelter's mission:

I spoke with Michelle Johnston, who came on board as the Pitino Shelter's executive director in the fall of 2019 just as last year's Aid the Homeless fundraiser was getting underway. She told me the funds raised from the 2019 event helped the shelter purchase new playground equipment as well as other items like school supplies, backpacks, and clothing, so that the children who spend time at the Daniel Pitino Shelter can have that feeling of normalcy which is so vitally important.

Here's my interview with Michelle Johnston Monday afternoon:

Our first ever Aid the Homeless Textathon begins Friday, October 23rd at 6AM. To donate, just text the word GIVE to 833-814-7739. We will provide hourly updates from 6AM to 6PM on what promises to be a very exciting day.

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