SHEBOYGAN – Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward announced it is dissolving only days after a brat fry fundraiser.
The nonprofit, which offers peer support for individuals in need and those experiencing homelessness, said on Facebook it will close at the end of next week.
“This decision did not come easy nor did it come lightly,” Pay It Forward said on Facebook.
“The truth is, we’re just tired,” the post continued. “Tired of fighting to be seen in a city that didn’t always want to acknowledge us. Tired of carrying the weight mostly on our own, missing family moments and pouring every once of ourselves into this work.”
Pay It Forward has offered shortened office hours at The Salvation Army, on weekdays and Sunday picnics in the parking lot on Sundays since it was evicted from the EBCO Venture Center building, which was condemned and closed in April.
The last day open at The Salvation Army will be Sept. 12 and the last Sunday lunch will be at noon Sept. 14.
Pay It Forward founders Scott and Kathleen LaBonte told the Sheboygan Press they see about 30 to 35 people daily at The Salvation Army.
“We don’t regret a minute of it,” the Facebook post said. “We’re grateful for every conversation, every hug, every small victory, every life that brushed against ours in this work.”
“The need in Sheboygan is real, and we pray that others will keep stepping up to fill the gaps, because people deserve dignity, warmth, and hope,” the post continued.
Pay It Forward has struggled to find a permanent home over the last four months. It shared on Facebook Catholic Charities in Sheboygan offered a potential space, but that fell through, and other spaces weren’t suitable.
The nonprofit had moved to the EBCO building from a smaller space on Michigan Avenue in fall 2023.
Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: ‘We’re just tired’: Sheboygan Area Pay It Forward founders announce plans to dissolve nonprofit
Reporting by Alex Garner, Sheboygan Press / Sheboygan Press
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