There are so many ways we can help our brothers and sisters in need.  But more than that, there are so many wonderful reasons to in fact do so.  Remember what the Lord told us in the book of Matthew... “The King will reply, “Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40).  

When we give to others, we are reflecting Christ’s visage.  But make no mistake from the passage in Matthew, helping our Haven families provides a chance for us to see Christ in the faces of those we help.  We give out of thanks for Christ’s sacrifice!

The Haven Project is a non-profit located in Ozaukee County established with the goal of meeting the physical and spiritual needs of those who could use an extra helping hand. We all have hard times; we’ve all been in a jam. Was there someone there who helped you out? Someone who went above and beyond to lift you up? With your help, Haven aims to do that for those in need in our community.

We do that in the following ways:

Haven’s “Christmas Drive” – Around the Christmas holiday, we reach out to the local agencies we assist. Whether it’s Child Protective Services for foster children, Advocates of Ozaukee (the domestic abuse shelter), or the local schools, we aim to make sure that no child (and no family) is without their needs and wants. We have amazing “sponsors” who adopt our Haven families and shop for their lists. These lists are not lavish; they are written by the Haven Families themselves and include clothing for their children, jackets or boots, nonperishables, towels, and other necessities the family needs (like toilet paper, paper towels, and toothbrushes). We also have a “Haven Wish List” for our sponsors to purchase items from for the shelter.

Haven’s “Bags of Hope” -- Haven has been working Child Protective Services of Ozaukee.  This agency works with the foster children in the county.  Often when children are taken into foster care, they leave abruptly. Because of their abrupt departure from their home, the children either grab nothing or they grab little (and maybe had little to even begin with it). Recently, the director of CPS asked how Haven could help remedy this and that is how Bags of Hope (BOH) was born.  BOH provides a backpack filled with all sorts of items.... the contents of the backpack vary on gender and age but could include pajamas, nonperishables, coloring books, crayons, books, stuffed animals, journals and pens, games, underwear and socks, toothbrushes and toothpaste, toiletries, gift cards, etc.

Haven’s “Bless This Nest” -- Haven is undertaking a new initiative with Advocates of Ozaukee, the domestic abuse shelter in Ozaukee County. We are putting together “wellness boxes” for the mothers who leave the shelter. Every mother wants their children cared for and aims to procure items for them to ensure their wellbeing. They often ask for nothing for themselves. We can bridge that gap by providing simple hygiene/cosmetic/personal care items - - items that many of these women, when they leave the shelter, simply can’t stretch their money enough to purchase.

Haven’s various drives throughout the year – At any time, Haven can be found doing a “jacket and boot drive” or maybe an “art supply drive” or “pajama drive.” We most recently did a “book drive.” We respond to requests from our agencies to meet the needs of our community, always keeping their goals in line with our mission –helping the most people we can to shine the brightest light we can on our Lord! All things we have our His, we just need to share them!