Harry Pedigo, director of St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter in Owensboro, speaks to the crowd at 10th Annual Tables of Hope event on Friday, April 17, 2026. RACHEL HALL | WKC

Annual Tables of Hope event looks to the future as Nehemiah Program is announced

BY RACHEL HALL, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

The 10th annual Tables of Hope fundraiser for St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter took place Friday, April 17, 2026, at St. Joseph and Paul Parish Hall in Owensboro. The shelter operates under the Diocese of Owensboro as a Catholic ministry, serving a vital need in the homeless population in the community.

An array of tables had been decorated for the night, from simple, elegant flower arrangements to whimsical tables from a world of fairies. The Owensboro Museum of Science & History came to the event with a red-checkered racing theme. Each table sponsor created a full table setting as an expression of hope.

St. Benedict’s first opened their doors in 2005, marking the milestone last year of 20 years. Harry Pedigo, director, started working at St. Benedict’s in 2014 and acknowledged since this time they have continued to develop and improve. It now operates several facilities, a 64-bed men’s shelter, four transitional homes for men, a day shelter for women and families, and a home for women dealing with crisis pregnancies. He noted the multiple roles played by the 14 people on staff across all the facilities.

St. Benedict’s specializes in targeted case management for one’s specific needs, whether that be for battling substance abuse, or needing mental or emotional support, to being connected to resources that can help clients get back on one’s feet.

The evening served as a platform to discuss the needs and hopes for a sustainable future. Pedigo, mentioning he was a numbers guy, noted a few stats: 48% of men that come in have some type of disability and are between the ages of 35 to 65. Citing the increase, he said there is an increase in needs and homelessness in the nation.

Pedigo addressed the root of the problem, “the answer here is not more homeless shelters. It’s affordable housing.”

He described a “perpetual wheel” where a lack of resources repeatedly forces people back into situations that inevitably land them back on the streets. While advocating for long-term systemic change, Pedigo asked those in the audience “if you see these people on the streets, send them our way.  We have the thing they need, a hot meal and a warm bed.”

At the night’s event, Pedigo made the announcement of an ambitious restructuring of the men’s shelter, the “Nehemiah Program,” set to launch at the beginning of July.

Under the new model, 20 of the 64 beds offered at the facility, will remain for any man coming off the streets, with no questions asked for up to 30 days, which will be designated as the “Mercy Program.” The remaining 44 beds will be reserved for those who transition into the Nehemiah Program, which requires compliance with therapy, life skills development, and employment or income goals.

“The hope is to have a beginning and an end. Where they graduate from the program,” with more structure and planning, Pedigo said, “We then help them with their next steps, like transitional housing.”

Maria Kelly, with Nona’s Market, catered the Tables of Hope Fundraiser on Friday, April 17, 2026 event. She poses with her staff after being given the Friendship Award. RACHEL HALL | WKC

Pedigo shifted to the needs to make this new program and the rest of St. Benedict’s facilities successful: “It takes roughly $12,000 a week to operate,” he said. Unexpected needs tend to pop up, like a recent broken air conditioner, with a quote to cost $30,000 to replace.

This annual fundraiser is just one way they help to fund the day-to-day operations and also a way to honor those helping on the front lines.

Local businesswoman and caterer Maria Kelly was presented with the Friendship Award for giving graciously to the community at St. Benedict’s. Kelly and her staff at Nona’s Market worked alongside current shelter residents to serve the night’s dinner, bridging the gap between supporters and those being served.

The evening concluded with an atmosphere of optimism. Supporters and volunteers of the shelter came out ready to celebrate the mission the shelter provides to the greater community.

“Without faith supporters,” Pedigo ended with gratitude, “we wouldn’t exist.”

St. Benedict’s Shelter is open every day. Check-in takes place on a first-come, first-served basis between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Bible study begins at 6 p.m. Dinner is served at 8 p.m., and a light breakfast is served at 7 a.m. before check-out at 8 a.m.

To learn more about this mission, or how to volunteer, donate, and further support St. Benedict’s and its affiliated ministries, visit https://stbenedictsowensboro.org.

People chat as they gather for the April 17 Tables of Hope event held at Sts. Joseph and Paul Parish Hall in Owensboro. RACHEL HALL | WKC

Originally printed in the May 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.