La Crosse Warming Center receives $20,000 grant

Fowler and Hammer, Maxwell White, Midwest Ceiling Systems made grant possible

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — Area contractors are putting down their tool belts to help the homeless community.

The La Crosse Community Foundation Fowler and Hammer Fund are granting Catholic Charity’s new warming center more than $20,000. Fowler and Hammer, Maxwell White, and Midwest Ceiling Systems all chipped in to help make the grant possible.

The warming center on south 3rd street in La Crosse opened more than a week ago and has been full the past three nights.

Not only did the contractors work nonstop to help the warming center open by November first, their grant will help the center stay open in the future.

“It’s a testament to the kind of people have been working on this building, and working nights and weekends, and some on their own time to make sure we opened on November 1st. We were very grateful that was our target date,” said La Crosse Warming Center Director Mary Fitzpatrick.

The new warming center can house up to 34 people. It has showers, a laundry facility, places to sleep, and even provides meals for guests.