House of Mercy (Rochester, New York)

08/18/2026

Last week, we shared an urgent need for men’s and women’s underwear and toiletries—and the response has been nothing short of incredible!

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of our community, we've received an incredible outpouring of donations through our Amazon Wishlist. Your support will help ensure our guests have access to these basic necessities.

From all of us at House of Mercy, thank you for sharing our post, donating, and supporting our mission. We are truly grateful for our amazing community! 💙

08/13/2026

08/10/2026

We are incredibly grateful to our friends at St. John Fisher for their generous donation of hundreds of pillows to House of Mercy! 💙

Thank you, St. John Fisher, for your generosity, compassion, and continued support of our mission. Your kindness makes a real difference!

A special thank you to Nicola Kammers for coordinating and to the House of Mercy transportation staff for the delivery.

07/24/2026

House of Mercy has a longstanding partnership with Health Reach who provide medical services to our guests. If you have medical experience (MD, RN or LPN etc.) and are interested in helping serve our community in a volunteer capacity, check out this opportunity!

07/17/2026

Pardon our dust! Construction has officially begun on House of Mercy’s women’s bathroom and shower renovation.

The new space will be safer, cleaner, more private, more accessible, and thoughtfully designed for the women who rely on it every day. We are especially proud that this project is being completed without using our general operating dollars, protecting the funds that support shelter, meals, outreach, case management, and other essential services.

Because dignity is found in every detail.

06/28/2026

Since January 1:
• 44 people have moved from House of
Mercy into independent housing.
• Our shelter has remained full, providing
safety, rest, showers, laundry, and
support to adults experiencing
homelessness.
• Our kitchen has continued serving three
meals a day, every day, without
interruption.
• Our staff and volunteers have provided
tens of thousands of meals to guests,
visitors, and neighbors.
• Our Street Outreach team has continued
meeting people where they are,
connecting unsheltered neighbors to
food, supplies, care, shelter, and housing
pathways.
• Our community food pantry has
continued serving neighborhood
households with practical support and
dignity.
• Students, churches, businesses,
restaurants, and community groups have
collected food, clothing, supplies, and
funds to support our guests.
• The Row for Hope, led by McQuaid Jesuit
Crew, brought new energy, awareness,
and generosity to House of Mercy.
• Grant-funded resources, including new
refrigerators and guest supplies, have
helped us better care for people between
meals, during medication times, and
during moments of urgent need.
• We have continued preparing for
important building improvements,
including work that will create safer,
more dignified spaces for the women we
serve.

This is not everything. It could never be everything.

It does not capture every volunteer hour, every donated meal, every bag of groceries, every clean pair of socks, every ride to an appointment, every quiet conversation, every hard-won step toward housing, or every person who walked through our doors and was met with mercy.
But it matters. In fact, it means everything to the staff, guests, and former guests of House of Mercy.

Thank you for being part of this work.

06/10/2026

A HUGE thank you to our friends at Innovative Solutions in Rochester, NY for the very generous donation of 400 street outreach bags, as well as a variety of other shelter necessities (socks, soap, toiletries, etc.).

(thank you to our Shelter Manager, Earl, for helping to sort the items and model for this picture)

06/08/2026

Today at Carpenter Park in the Port of Pittsford, House of Mercy joined parents, McQuaid’s robotics team, newly graduated classmates, faculty, staff, and community well-wishers to welcome the McQuaid Crew Team into port for a much-deserved lunch break.

The boys are making wonderful time and were in high spirits. Every rower came off the boat smiling, tired, proud, and ready to keep going. It was a beautiful reminder of what this journey is really about: young people using their strength, discipline, friendship, and faith to lift up our neighbors at House of Mercy.

They are rowing mile after mile across the Erie Canal for Row for Hope, and they still have a long way to go. Let’s show them the love they deserve.

Please cheer them on along the canal as they continue east. Today’s next great viewing spot is the Port of Palmyra Marina around 4:00 p.m. Upcoming stops include Newark, Clyde, Weedsport, Baldwinsville, Oneida Shores, Sylvan Beach, Rome, St. Johnsville, Amsterdam, Glenville, and finally Waterford/Albany.

Bring signs, wave from the canal path, say a prayer, and let these rowers know that House of Mercy and the whole community are behind them.

Go McQuaid Crew! Keep rowing for hope.

06/07/2026

Here's a sneak peek from the coach's launch of the Row for Hope team practicing traveling through the Erie Canal's extensive lock system this week. Did you know that there are 35 numbered locks and 15 lift bridges on the Erie Canal? A special thank you to the operators of Lock 32 for helping the boys get the experience they need to be successful next week!