Homeless Women Get The Royal Treatment This Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is about how to make others feel loved, appreciated and respected, so why not share that feeling with the homeless?
Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli and The Road Home have come together along with several other volunteers to make this years Valentine’s more memorable for women currently living at the shelter.
The event is organized by Jason Unruh, the leader of the Street Krew, a homeless outreach group at K2 the church, Rebecca Bossart who was last year’s organizer, and Dani Marie, this year’s event co-ordinator.
It takes several volunteers to pull this off and from what I hear, is an event that warms the heart and leaves a lasting impression on many of the women that attended last year.
I am actually amazed at all the efforts being put into this event by all the co-ordinators and volunteers. They truly show that love isn’t restricted to your partner. It can mean so much more to others and this is a great example to prove to the community that so many really do care about the homeless.
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The day starts with hair, nails and make-up at the Weigand’s Center (437 W. 200 South, SLC). Volunteers have given up their time to help all the women get ready for the big night. Articles of clothing that were generously donated will be passed out to the women as well.
Then, the women are all escorted from the Road Home to to Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli just around the corner. There they will be given a rose and will be cooked and served an amazing dinner by even more volunteers.
Caputo’s, being a staple to the area surrounding the shelter was happy to get a call to help with this year’s event. “We hosted the Valentine’s Day gala for the women’s shelter last year and were moved by the difference it made in many people’s lives” said Yelena Caputo. She goes on to say “They expressed how happy they were with the location and the amenities that were offered to them in the past. We’re looking forward to this event as it helps humanize the homelessness that we experience in our neighborhood every day.”
Matt Caputo, Tony’s son, wants his dad’s love and spirit of supporting his community to go on, even with the retirement of his father last year. “We support the event and many other organizations providing services to the homeless. They are part of our community and we love our community.” said Matt. “While we certainly can’t change the world we can be a good member of our own community.”
They are always in need of more volunteers and more donations of roses, clothing and money to help with the event. If you’re interested in helping out this weekend you can contact John, Rebecca or Dani through their facebook event page Homeless Women’s Valentine’s Banquet.
