Family Promise of Greater Phoenix, a nonprofit organization that rescues primarily first-time homeless families and their pets and helps them return to independence, received a donation of hundreds of linens from Great Wolf Lodge Arizona.

This effort is part of Great Wolf Lodge’s company-wide Paw Pledge initiative, which focuses on health and safety of its guests and pack, commitment to the community, and providing travel flexibility to families, according to a press release.

Located within the Salt River Pima‐Maricopa Indian Community’s Talking Stick Entertainment District, Great Wolf Lodge Arizona was the planned site of Family Promise’s annual fundraising event, previously scheduled to be held in early April 2020.

However, with the spread of coronavirus, the event was postponed to October 2020. Despite the postponement, Great Wolf Lodge wanted to show their support to Family Promise by donating hundreds of linens for the families that they are serving.

The donation included bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, bathmats, sheets, pillowcases, and more.

Currently, Family Promise is sheltering more than a dozen families at their day center in south Scottsdale. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Family Promise relied on its network of volunteer churches and synagogues to shelter and feed the families they serve while Family Promise assisted these families on their journey back to self-sufficiency.

Family Promise has had to abandon its community-based model to protect its volunteers and families from the potential spread of the virus.

Family Promise says that the linen donation is crucial to providing comfort and care to the families that they are currently sheltering and help them get started in their new homes after they graduate from the program.

“With each family that we serve, our goal is to guarantee a quality experience for them while they are in our care and to get them settled into their own home after graduating from our program while working to keep everyone safe during this health crisis,” said Ted Taylor, executive director at Family Promise of Greater Phoenix. “We are truly thankful to have valuable partners like Great Wolf Lodge to step up and help us during this time, we are so appreciative of their support for our families.”

Homeless families are more at-risk during crises and pandemics than other populations as housing instability limits access to hygiene and families facing homelessness are not always able to secure basic needs such as cleaning products and sanitizers. Additionally, the stress of housing instability and lack of access to nutrition and wellness make families more susceptible to disease.

“At Great Wolf Lodge our mission is to bring joy to families, and we’re proud to support Family Promise as they ‘keep the promise’ to families during this challenging time,” said Brian Johnson, general manager at Great Wolf Lodge Arizona. “We’re grateful for this opportunity to support our community and provide these linens to families in need.”

Family Promise is requesting monetary donations to support their day-to-day operations of sheltering their families at their day center. Donations can be made at FamilyPromiseAZ.org.

Great Wolf Lodge Arizona has been temporarily closed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Learn more at greatwolf.com/arizona/paw-pledge.