Penn Township holiday project enters 8th year supporting Western Pa. homeless shelters

The best part of Kellie Haldie’s Christmas is delivering gifts, clothes and personal care items to people living in local homeless shelters.

About 35 volunteers join Haldie in the annual giving project, Blessing Our Sheltered Hearts, which started in 2016. This year, volunteers supported three shelters and about 150 families and individuals, primarily in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.

“I just felt that the Lord was pulling me toward the homeless and the most vulnerable, which are women and children in domestic violence shelters,” said Haldie of Penn Township.

Each shelter provides a list of its inhabitants to Haldie, including their ages, clothing and shoe sizes and any needs or wants they have. Haldie shares the information in a Facebook group, and volunteers claim people to support.

Volunteers are instructed to purchase 10 items for each person, splitting their donation between wants and needs.

“I will tell you that nobody listens to that 10. We abundantly bless,” Haldie said.

Most of the people in the shelters are women and their children, but the mothers always ask for items for their children first, volunteer Diane Weismann said. Some volunteers purchase “pamper yourself” gifts for the mothers, like slippers or a spa kit.

“It’s just such a feel-good feeling to help someone,” said Weismann of Allison Park. “I’ve always been that way. If I have a little bit more to give, then they’re going to get it.”

It is encouraging to see the community unite around helping others, volunteer Dottie Dixon said.

“It’s just always amazing to see that many people have come together to make this happen,” said Dixon of Irwin. “You meet some of the nicest people.”

The items people ask for can be humbling for Haldie to hear.

“Sadly, a lot of times, they want a pillow and a blanket,” Haldie said.

People often come to the shelter to escape domestic violence situations, she said.

“It’s nice that the first year that they’re in the shelter, that they’re blessed that Christmas with so much love,” Haldie said. “It’s always our hope that the worst Christmas for them maybe turns out to be the best.”

Blessing Our Sheltered Hearts has stepped in to help shelters outside of the holiday season. Haldie delivered 350 pairs of tennis shoes to Women’s Services Inc. in Meadville this summer.

“If we don’t have it, we try to find it or get somebody that may know,” said Patricia Prince, an employee at the shelter. “That’s where Kellie might come in — ‘Do you happen to know anybody who has a bed?’ and she may know of somebody. She pretty much has helped us get anything and everything we’ve needed so far.”

Women’s Services Inc. is an 18-person shelter, primarily for women and children. This is the fourth Christmas when Blessing Our Sheltered Hearts has supported the Crawford County shelter, Prince said.

“(Kellie’s) like my secret Santa from Pittsburgh,” said Prince of Meadville.

Haldie plans to register Blessing Our Sheltered Hearts as an official nonprofit by the spring.