A local nonprofit’s fundraiser last week put them in the top three in the country.
The Manitowoc Warming Shelter’s Coldest Night of the Year Fundraiser has raised more than $78,000, ranking third among 75 groups that raised money during the event.
Pastor Matt Sauer told SeehaferNews.com that Manitowoc is a great community, and having that accolade is something that can’t be said often.
Local Event Coordinator Sarah Reimer also said the money raised for the warming shelter underscores the group’s importance in the community.
“Besides being number three in the nation, we also have two walkers (ranked) in the nation in the top 10,” she noted. “Pastor Matt from his time and Linda Wenzel from the Unitarian team. And the Unitarian team is also ranked number 11 among all teams in the country. That’s 75 locations, nine of those from Wisconsin. So, that’s just really a representation of how deeply this community cares.”
About 230 people took time to walk in the fundraiser last Saturday, along with 48 volunteers.
Sauer also said they learned about the organization because the organization reached out to them.
At first, the shelter wasn’t that interested, butt Sauer said, “They were persistent. (We) looked at the website and brought it to our board. A couple of people ran with it, and by February 2025, (it was happening). Last year, we really only worked with maybe two months at the most.”
Sauer says the next goal is to knock off the nation’s No. 1 team next year.
Reimer continued to explain that while the numbers are important, the message behind their fundraising is more important.
“A donation isn’t just a number on a donation page,” she stated. “It means that you are supporting the mission of the Manitowoc Warming Shelter, ensuring that unhoused neighbors in our community have access to the basic human need, warm, safe shelter.”
Sauer reminded us that they can only accommodate 12 people per night due to safety and city regulations.
Their end goal with the fundraiser is to build a permanent warming shelter that can house up to 24 people a night, while providing amenities such as showers, food, and laundry facilities.
While the permanent shelter is still in the works, a floor plan is available.
“We continue to work in partnership with the city to find the right location,” Sauer recounted. “So, we can’t do much more architecturally until we know exactly where it’s going. But, because we have this ideal floor plan, we’re able to overlay it on an existing building or property and say okay, we can make adjustments, we can make this work, we can do that. So, that’s been very helpful.”
The top two fundraisers in the nation were in Winchester, Massachusetts, and Fredericksburg, Virginia.
