Our Daily Rest waiving White Flag

The white flag is waiving at Our Daily Rest in Seneca.  White flags are used by shelters in times of extreme cold weather to signify they have room.  The homeless shelter is now taking those seeking shelter from the cold, explains Susan Pickett, director of Our Daily Rest.  “Any time that it is this cold we put the white flag out.  You do have to pass a drug test and we need to see an ID.  I can take probably about five guys and five girls on either side, either sleeping on the couch or we have some pretty nice mats and we give them sheets and blankets to make them a pallet in here.  We will try to serve them supper if we have enough to go around.” The shelter is currently serving 35 residents, which is capacity.  Operating expenses go up for shelters like Our Daily Rest during the winter season as more people seek shelter when it is cold.  Pickett says that is why Our Daily Rest accepts donations year round and she tells how you can donate.  “Mail a check to P.O. Box 1246 in Seneca, you can go to our website www.ourdailyrest.org and you click and pledge, or you can come by the office here at 525 East Main Street in Seneca.”  Our Daily Rest is Oconee County’s only homeless shelter. It opened in 2009 and served over 400 people in its first two years. This is not a drop-in overnight shelter, but rather a program that helps people change their lives and transition to successful, independent living.