HILLARY LEMASTER OF ST. MATHEW’S HOUSE ADDRESSES GATEWAY WOMEN’S CLUB
STEPHANIE MENA
The membership of Gateway Woman’s Club recently welcomed Hillary Lemaster from St. Mathew’s House in Fort Myers. Lemaster is the Director of Grants and Institutional Giving. St. Mathew’s House’s focus is helping people move from personal crisis to community contributor. Their mission statement is clear. St. Mathew’s House works to ensure that no one experiencing hunger, homelessness or addiction is alone or without a pathway from crisis to contributor. Together with partners and participants, St. Mathew’s house cultivates communities where people are progressively seen, accepted, challenged, and supported.
St. Mathew’s House provides a hand-up, rather than a hand-out to those in need through homeless shelters, transitional housing, feeding ministry, mobile food pantry, recovery programs and employment training initiatives. The staff focuses on meeting the unique needs of each individual in order to ensure every man, woman and child is equipped for long-term success.
St. Mathew’s House was founded in 1987. They have expanded as the needs of the communities served expand and now have 21 locations in four counties. One purpose has remained strong: Focus on local problems. St. Mathew’s House stays true to their five pillars: food assistance, homeless shelters, addiction recovery, transitional housing and workforce development. In 2024, 2,600,000 meals were distributed, 681 people were moved from homeless to housed, and 531 people gained/retained jobs.
Recently, St. Mathew’s House opened a shelter designated for women and children at 3637 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., with 11 private dorms for women with children and 28 beds for single women. St. Mathew’s House is a 501 (c)(3) charity with a 4-star rating. Their unique business model ensures donated funds go to support the programs. There are many ways to support St. Mathew’s House, whether it be through community partnerships, volunteerism, monetary donations, goods donations to their House Thrift Stores, or legacy donations. To learn more, go to https://stmathewshouse.org.
