Pitino Shelter, Hayden Home each receive $12,500 from Big Rivers and IBEW 1701

May 5, 2021 | 12:10 am

Updated May 4, 2021 | 11:33 pm

Photos by Ryan Richardson

The Daniel Pitino Shelter and the Hayden Home for Girls were each benefactors of a $12,500 donation thanks to a partnership between Big Rivers Electric Corporation and IBEW Local 1701. 

The Daniel Pitino Shelter offers emergency housing with the capacity to serve 65 individuals, has four houses available for transitional housing, provides the opportunity for permanent supported housing through the Nicky Hayden Apartments, and operates rapid rehousing and prevention programs providing much-needed assistance to reconnect citizens with housing and to prevent homelessness. 

The Shelter also operates a Community Soup Kitchen to provide meals to the local community and for shelter guests. 

“This is incredible for us. It’s been a little bit difficult because we haven’t been able to have our normal fundraisers,” said Dr. Michele Johnston, Executive Director of the Daniel Pitino Shelter. “Not being able to have our volunteers help at the shelter has been a tremendous challenge. Our staff has always stepped up and gone above and beyond to get us through, but this is a representation of the support of the community.”

Johnston said the donation will be used to renovate the front porch to add some ramps and make it safer so they can host their soup kitchen there again.

The Hayden Home for Girls, located on the St. Joseph Peace Mission campus, opened in September 2019. It serves as a long-term facility for girls between the ages of 12 and 18, including young ladies who are pregnant or parenting. The Hayden Home uses a multi-dimensional treatment approach with programs focused on individual and family therapy, mental health, nutrition, social skills, relationship building, daily living skills, and education.

“This gift means everything, particularly at a time when COVID-19 has created a financial strain for a lot of nonprofits,” said Paula Yevincy, St. Joseph Peace Mission Executive Director. “We had to reduce the number of children we could care for, which was unfortunate but necessary. That certainly impacted us financially. To have this gift at this time to help us recover from that strain, it couldn’t happen at a better time.”

Yevincy said the funds would go toward the day-to-day costs for the home and the girls’ care — everything from food and clothing to keep the building running to therapy services.

Big Rivers announced in November 2020 they would be moving their corporate headquarters from Henderson to Owensboro, with leadership hopeful the project would be complete within 18-24 months.

Big Rivers is a member-owned, not-for-profit, generation and transmission cooperative that provides wholesale electric power and services to three distribution cooperative members across 22 counties in western Kentucky.

Bob Berry, President and CEO of Big Rivers, said they were happy to show how they plan to be a part of the Owensboro community.

“These not-for-profits were hit really hard with the pandemic,” Berry said. “We’re a cooperative, which means we’re owned by the community, so we like to give back to the community. I think we all need to give back to the less fortunate. Sometimes we forget about the less fortunate people in our lives. We’re honored to be able to do this.”

Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson said he was excited that Big Rivers is going to be another new corporate citizen. 

“They’ve proven already how valuable they can be to us, not only with the people they’re bringing to the community but also their outreach to organizations like this,” Watson said. “It’s a godsend during this pandemic. The inability to do fundraisers and things like that, you can’t really put words on how important it is for the function of taking care of these young people.”

May 5, 2021 | 12:10 am

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