Recent Events

Visit Strawberry Square during lunch hour on November 16, 17, and 18 to bid on a holiday or seasonal wreath and help homeless women and their children get back on their feet.  

“Most of us live in our own homes and have doors where we can hang a wreath to mark the holiday season, said Lori Hoffmaster, executive director of Shalom House, a 21-bed shelter located in Harrisburg’s Allison Hill neighborhood.  “The homeless aren’t so lucky. But every year, hundreds of homeless women can call Shalom House home as they work hard to resolve the causes of their homelessness.”

This holiday season, hundreds of volunteers – scouts, seniors, church groups, civic organizations and individuals – have gotten crafty to help these homeless women and their children. 

Wreaths for a Reason is a fundraiser and community awareness event that offers groups and individuals the opportunity to create their own one-of-a-kind holiday wreath in support of ending homelessness in the greater Harrisburg area.

Shalom House will auction off all completed wreaths, and all proceeds raised will go directly to supporting the women and children at the shelter, which has helped thousands of  women and kids since it opened 25 years ago.  The women can stay for up to 28-days, and the shelter’s goal is to restore the clients to self sufficiency through a variety of social and vocational services.

Thanks to the generous support of Harristown Development Corporation, the wreaths will be displayed on the first floor lobby of Strawberry Square in Harrisburg and the public will have an opportunity to bid on individual wreaths in a silent auction.  Wreaths will be on display and bids will be taken from November 16 through November 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 “Shalom House is  special – it is a place of restoration and hope, a place where you can rebuild your life and start over, a place to call home,” said Hoffmaster.  “Not having a home – for whatever reason – is so traumatic, and there are so many ways it can happen, some totally unexpected.  The cause of homelessness, especially for women, is complicated but at Shalom House, we are successful in helping our clients start back on the path to self sufficiency.  We believe that every person is worth saving and that everyone deserves a chance.”

“Most of our clients leave Shalom House telling us that we saved their lives,” said Hoffmaster.  “Help us with this critical work and stop by Strawberry Square on November 16, 17 and 18 to bid on a wreath.  Hang it on your door as a sign of your faith in these women and your hope for their children!”

This November, the Shalom House is announcing our first annual Wreaths For A Reason event.

All of us are fortunate we live in a house or apartment with a door where we hang wreaths to mark the holidays and passing seasons. But those who are homeless do not have a house or a door or a wreath. For many women and their children in Harrisburg, Shalom House is the place they call home and where they begin the hard work to resolve the causes of their homelessness.

“Wreaths for a Reason” is a fundraiser/community awareness event offering an opportunity to groups and individuals to create a holiday wreath, and at the same time, help end homelessness.

Shalom House will supply a 12" wire wreath form, and you supply the creativity and your own materials. Participants are invited to exercise their imaginations and have fun!

Finished wreaths are donated to Shalom House and picked up in mid-November by a Shalom House volunteer for display at Strawberry Square for a silent auction. All proceeds will benefit Shalom House.

If your school, business, religious organization, senior citizen center, scout troop, individuals - all are welcome - would like to help Shalom House by creating your own “Wreath for a Reason”, contact Shalom House volunteer Janet McNally by phone at (717) 805-6935 or by email at jmcnally4@gmail.com.

“If you are interested in Wreaths for a Reason, you might also be interested in becoming a volunteer or donor to Shalom House. Please leave us your contact information and we’ll add you to our mailing list.”