Halfway Through 2025: How Your Support Made A Difference
- Bri Camillucci
- Aug 27
- 2 min read
Dear friends of the Abbie Shelter,
As the days grow shorter and summer winds to a close, we wanted to share a brief look at how our community used the Abbie Shelter's services in the first half of 2025. Between January and June of this year, our staff and volunteer advocates worked tirelessly to ensure that:
650 Helpline calls were answered
55 people received help with Orders of Protection
49 individuals accessed emergency hotel services
30 adults and children lived safely in our confidential shelter
10 survivors used our counseling scholarship
772 community members were educated about intimate partner violence.
Unfortunately, our work is not slowing down as we move into the second half of 2025. Big transitions like the start of the school year can disrupt routines and create stressors that increase the risk of intimate partner violence occurring, especially among families. With local students heading back to school this week, our team is prepared to answer the call from anyone who feels unsafe.
Why Your Support Matters
While demand for our services continues to increase, we are also facing a new challenge: a significant decrease in government grant funding. Federal funds have long been the backbone of the Abbie Shelter's budget. In 2024, government grants made up 36% of our total income for the year.
We currently receive three federal grants that support the wages of six of our core staff positions. The latest updates we've received from our federal funding partners suggest that all three of those grants will be cut later this year. We are facing a staggering 20% total drop in federal funds as we head towards 2026.
How You Can Help
Right now, the best way to support our work is to make a gift to the Abbie Shelter through the Great Fish Community Challenge. In light of the anticipated cuts to our federal grant funding, we are asking those who've supported us in the Challenge in the past to consider increasing your gift by 20% this year. Your contributions help guarantee that our services will go on without interruption as we move through this period of uncertainty. No amount is too small to make a difference.
The Challenge is open now through September 12. Be sure to make your gift
no later than 5pm on Fri, Sept 12.
To those who've already supported us in this year's Great Fish Community Challenge, we cannot thank you enough. Your generosity helps make our community a safer place for everyone who lives here.
With gratitude,
Kristen Schepker
Executive Director
