The Public Service Board selected the Opportunity Center for the Homeless as the El Paso Water 2017 Charity of Choice. The OC provides shelter and meals for the homeless. Its newest facility – La Casa de Las Abuelitas – serves single elderly women in need.
Each year, EPWater forms a strategic alliance with a local, non-profit, community organization. Over the past eight years, employees raised more than $200,000 for selected agencies through fund-raising projects in their off hours and on weekends.
La Casa de Las Abuelitas has 16 housing units and is the Opportunity Center’s newest living center. The shelter is in great need of funding and will benefit from the proceeds of the Charity of Choice program.
"It costs us roughly $285 a night to run the facility," said John Martin, part of the organization's strategic planning and fund development team. "That's everything from keeping the lights on to having staff. There's food, toiletries, medical care, etc. Nothing is more important than another. It's about the safety and protection of these women."