During his time as pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, Father Harry Tompson was known for his poignant homilies,  his larger-than-life character, and his passion for helping the poor and less fortunate. After mass, he’d congregate with his parishioners on Baronne Street, offering hugs, handshakes, and words of encouragement. Among the congregants were several unhoused individuals, hungry, dirty, and begging for help. Rather than shooing them away, Father Tompson invited them in. He converted the Parish Center into a makeshift day shelter, allowing them a place to shower, do laundry, and find respite from the harsh realities of living on the streets. These were the humble beginnings of the Harry Tompson Center.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of his passing, we are inviting you to help Father Tompson's legacy live on by supporting the work that we do. At HTC, we strive to embody the values that Father Tompson preached. We know that miracles happen when we offer a helping hand, a listening ear, and give voice to the struggles of our guests.

As the pandemic persists, we have made the difficult decision to forego our annual Gala, an event we rely on to raise a quarter of our annual operating budget. We are asking our community of supporters to consider contributing to the Father Harry Tompson Legacy Campaign to ensure that we are able to carry forth his mission to help those who need it most.

While so many other providers remain closed or limited in the services they can offer, we feel fortunate to remain open and dedicated to serving the needs of our unhoused brothers and sisters. Please support our efforts to raise critical funding for the Center by contributing to the Father Harry Tompson Legacy Campaign.

These funds are vital in helping us fill in the gaps in our budget so that we can continue to provide showers, laundry, phone service, case management, housing navigation, and the many other services we offer daily to the homeless community in New Orleans.

We understand that times may be tough for you as well. If you cannot make a financial contribution and would still like to participate, consider sharing your favorite Father Tompson stories, memories, and photos with us to feature on a special webpage that will launch on April 5th, 2021.

Please submit any stories, photos, videos, or questions about the Father Harry Tompson Legacy Campaign to HTC Communications Director, Paisleigh Kelley, at pkelley@harrytompsoncenter.org.  We are excited to share these memories with you as we collect them throughout the year.

Sponsorships are still available. If you pledge to become a sponsor, your name will be featured on our Fr. Harry Legacy webpage, which will be updated with new stories throughout the year. Be sure to tell us how you'd like your name to appear in the "Anything you'd like us to know" section of the donation page.

Thank you for helping us answer Father Harry’s call to do the most amount of good for the most amount of people in the shortest amount of time.