Every life matters: Deepening relationships with WINN

“Every life matters,” says Sue Graf, executive director of What I Need Now.

FSPA invests in WINN and supports our neighbors with a ministry grant sponsored by Mike Schnitzius, FSPA affiliate, who introduces us to Sue and starts the conversation about the organization’s mobile ministry. WINN does not operate out of a building that unsheltered residents must find their way to; rather, a cargo van makes its way to them with essentials like new socks, t-shirts, hoodies, footwear, hygiene items, ready-to-eat food and feminine hygiene products. Referrals for social services like health care, employment and housing agencies are given. WINN also collaborates with local law enforcement, the city of La Crosse and food banks to coordinate resources and best meet the needs of those the organization serves.

But perhaps the biggest benefit of the program is the relationships fostered with those unsheltered. “They get to know that people love and accept them, trust us, contact us. It’s hard to think that stopping with a van and meeting some basic needs is the only care that some folks have.”