Merrill, Wis (WJFW) – Haven is a domestic violence and sexual assault agency based in Merrill.
Haven’s director Kim West says they support people in crisis or people who have experienced it through their healing process. But this year Haven and other agencies are having harder times funding their efforts.
“A lot of agencies are experiencing financial instability right now so we needed to think of ways that we could get ahead of the game so our services would be able to stay open for people who need it.” West said.
According to director Kim West in 2024 79% of expenses were covered by federal grants and 21% covered by donations. But as of July 2025 that number has been cut to just 58% covered by Grants.
That’s when the idea of starting a shoe drive came up. Haven will take any kinds of shoes, new or used, and once they’re donated, they will go to people all around the world who need them, and Haven will get a small cut of money.
One advocate at Haven, Lynn Wisniewski says their goal is to get to 2,500 pairs of shoe donations. “We might only get a couple hundred or a couple thousand dollars on it, but every little bit helps.” Wisniewski said.
If you have shoes in decent shape to donate you can visit Haven in Merrill or see their other donation bin locations on the Haven website and Facebook page. The final day to donate is October 24th.
