Ottawa resident starts donation page for homeless shelters

An Ottawa resident is looking to raise some money for the local homeless shelter after their need was brought to her attention by her daughter.

Mary Kay Partridge set up a GoFundMe page over the weekend looking to raise $10,000 for the Ottawa Public Action to Deliver Shelter after her daughter, Kole, mentioned that some children her age use the shelter.

“Children? Like, are you kidding me? How is this happening?” Partridge recalled asking.

Marissa Melau, program director for the Ottawa PADS location, said they currently have 24 children registered and the shelter has been very busy and, at times, full in recent months.

“When somebody comes to us and we're full, we get a lot of phone calls, we try to find out where they are calling from and what their situation is,” Melau said.

Often times staff offer to drive people to the Peru shelter if space is tight and at times have driven people to shelters in Bloomington, Rockford and Peoria. Other times those looking for shelter will make other plans or stay with family.

Melau added around 90% to 95% of those who use the shelter are locals.

Partridge said the more she learned, the more she wanted to help.

“That’s when I stepped in. ‘Let’s try to raise whatever we can,' ” she said.

Partridge posted the page a couple of days ago but she’s hoping to convince others to start donating to the shelter. The amount of $10,000 was selected as a “feasible” goal.

PADS Executive Director Carol Alcorn said the shelter has seen a higher interest this year compared to the previous years, but not much higher.

Additionally, the Peru shelter is nearing completion of their addition to add 48 more beds to the premises.

She said any donated money wouldn’t go toward a specific project but would be well received.

Others interested in donating can keep an eye on their mailboxes in specific demographics in La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties as the agency will be launching its mailing campaign, which is usually its biggest fundraiser. Donors are encouraged to send money back in return envelopes.

Partridge said she hopes others consider skipping a cup of coffee or two and donating that money to their local shelter this year and consider others who are less well off, as she has with her own daughter.

“My daughter is a very loving girl and I’ll tell her how lucky she is to go to McDonald’s and come home and be warm and take a bath,” Partridge said. “Some kids don’t have that, and it’s not their fault. And it’s not even so much the parents’ (fault).”

Partridge's donation page is set up at gofundme.com/f/lets-build-a-new-shelter.

For more information on the shelters, visit ivpads.com.