Opening Doors | October

October Newsletter

Dear Friends,

What a wonderful time of the year for ESNKY! As we come to witness all that is good in our community, it becomes magical for our guests and staff to see and feel so much love and support. If you dropped off donations at our Donation Drive-Thru event last week, you probably met a few of the incredible men in our RISE and Work programs as they helped unload your car and were so proud to be a part of it all.  This holiday season, I hope we will see you either volunteering or donating items and continuing to be a part of the magic that helps our neighbors feel loved and valued during their journey towards stability.

With grace & faith,

Kim M. Webb

Executive Director

Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky

NKU Grads Win Design Award for ESNKY Project

A team of five recent graduates from Northern Kentucky University’s Visual Communication Design program have won the Student Experiential Design category at the 2024 Cincinnati Design Awards for their work with ESNKY. The students’ design was inspired by Covington’s rich architectural history and vibrant mosaic art, resulting in a sophisticated signage system and large-scale wall murals to aide visitors in navigating the new space. (Watch the news coverage here.)

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Drive-Thru Event Garners Outpouring of Local Support

This past week, 42 donors participated in the first-ever ESNKY Donation Drive-Thru event, donating hundreds of items for winter shelter. (Watch the news coverage here.) We filled up racks of winter coats, shelves full of toilet paper, bins of shampoo, soap and deodorant, and lots of blankets and twin sheets. Donors included the City of Bellevue (pictured above), companies like Greenway Innovations, and supporters who drove over an hour to make sure ESNKY has the supplies we need. Additionally, several supporters made monetary donations to help with the coldest months of the year. Thank you to everyone who “popped” by!

Faith Leaders Unite to Bless ESNKY Winter Shelter

Faith leaders, volunteers and supporters gathered at ESNKY last Sunday for a special opportunity to offer blessings and prayer as we open the ESNKY Winter Cold Shelter. We are grateful to Sister Janet Bucher, a founder of ESNKY, who gave the opening invocation, and to all those who shared their voices with us. Guests, staff and volunteers found the event uplifting as we prepare for winter. ESNKY is a nondenominational organization, welcoming volunteers and supporters of all congregations and faiths to be part of our Life Saving, Life Changing mission.

National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week

National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week is an annual program where people come together across the country to draw attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness. Here in Northern Kentucky, we are asking our friends, leaders and community members to wear purple between November 17 - 23 to raise awareness and support for our neighbors who are struggling with homelessness and hunger, many for the first time this winter.

Did You Know?

ESNKY offers street outreach to meet individuals who are unable or unwilling to enter shelter.Since July 1st, our coordinator has met with 284 people and connected with them 1,404 times to make sure we can provide support to help them where they are.

A Lifetime of Giving

Thank you for supporting the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky! Please consider including ESNKY when making gifts from your Donor Advised Fund and IRA Charitable Distributions. For more information, contact Development Manager Zak Draznin at zak.draznin@esnky.net.