PBH Committee Will Launch Jog-A-Thon for the Homeless

An estimated 60 to 70 Harvard students will run in a jog-a-thon this Sunday to raise funds for Phillips Brooks House's (PBH) program of sheltering local transients.

Richard W. Painter '84, Co-Chairman of the PBH Homeless Committee, said the group hopes to raise $200 to maintain a shelter in the University Lutheran Church and possibly open other sites.

The church's shelter, opened this summer, is now an emergency way-station but will resume regular service next April.

"Being on a college campus, I thought it would be the easiest way to make money," said Christopher S. Pascucci '84, who conceived the event.

Pascucci, who is not a member of PBH, said he has a "special interest in the homeless." He issued 70 sponsor pledge sheets for the event, and advertised it in the undergraduate houses.

The jog-a-thon, which organizers hope will become an annual event, may help spur growth in the homeless project, officials said.

"It would certainly be in everyone's best interest to have two shelters in the area," said Pastor Frederick Reisz of the Lutheran Church. According to Reisz, the shelter, which is run by Harvard students and interested community members, has received help in the past from various university and neighborhood groups.

"We're above our capacity. We always had more people than beds," Reisz said. He estimated that the Boston area has 2000-3000 homeless, adding that "the shelter capacities in this area aren't more than 600 or 800 spaces."

Asked about the jog-a-thon, Reisz said, "I know we need the shelters and whatever it takes to get them is important."

Painter added that the effort may also prove enlightening to Harvard students. "It's a good way to wake up to realities," he said.