Cove chapter of Scottish Rite makes donation to Cove House

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

On Thursday afternoon, members of the Copperas Cove Scottish Rite Club presented a check for $485 to Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter.

The group's president, Robert Walker, president-elect Bill Chenoweth,  along with members John Moltz and Chuck Downard made the presentation to executive director of Cove House, Brian Hawkins.

The Copperas Cove raised funds in the amount of $485, which was already presented in December to the shelter. Thursday's donation was a contribution of matching funds from Community Counts Program of the Valley of Waco Scottish Rite Bodies.

Cove House serves as the only shelter for the homeless in Coryell County and until recently, also Bell County. In 2015, Cove House provided temporary shelter and food for more than 400 individuals, including more than 30 families with children. During the annual at the shelter's annual banquet, Hawkins said 82 of those individuals included veterans.

The shelter has one home for men, one for women, and two family homes. All basic needs are provided for residents, to include linens, towels, and toiletries. The shelter provides its residents with food to make three square meals a day. There is also a computer lab where they can do job searches, print resumes and more. Representatives from Texas A&M Central Texas teach classes for nutrition on a budget as well as resume' writing.

Cove House also has a transitional housing program, which is a six-month program at an eight-plex apartment unit owned by the shelter. In six months, residents enough money for deposits which will go toward them getting into their own apartment.

The shelter reached a milestone in 2015, when it received a grant from the Central Texas Housing Commission, which enabled the shelter to pay off the mortgage for its transitional housing unit. Hawkins said they were also able to purchase appliances for the eight-plex.

Funds like the ones donated by the Copperas Cove Scottish Rite Club will go a long way toward helping the shelter reach its goals for 2016, one of which is purchasing a washer and dryer set for each building on the property. Currently there is only one set for the entire complex.