The mission of Stepping Stones is: “People helping people strengthen the Dunn County community by providing food, shelter and support”. They currently operate a food pantry, an emergency homeless shelter, and a community connections program that helps low income people with direct financial assistance. During the winter months they also operate a warming shelter, Winter Haven, and they facilitate the backpack weekend food program through the schools. They have become a first source for help for many people experiencing a difficult time who need ‘a stepping stone’ to get back on their feet.
Stepping Stones opened an Acorn Fund at the Community Foundation in 2014 with $2,000. They have added to the fund annually over time, and reached the $10,000 minimum threshold in 2018, so they received their first distribution in January 2019 totaling $265.
This grant will build upon their existing Agency Fund. The services Stepping Stones provides are critical to meeting needs of low income residents of Dunn County. They have had a few challenging budget years and understand that operating reserves and financial security are essential to both their short and long-term goals. They outline three main goals as part of their strategic plan: to increase community awareness/knowledge of community needs related to the services they provide, to grow their programs to better serve more people, and to ensure continuity of their operations. The disbursements from the agency fund would follow their current fund policy, which is to be used either for general operating if immediately needed, or to be reinvested into the endowment to grow the principal, based on the board’s evaluation. Their matching strategies include board and staff contributions, phoning donors, social media, and offering a giving challenge to their stakeholders.
“There are currently tremendous needs for the services Stepping Stones provides and, now more than ever, we realize the value of having a solid endowment. None of us know what the future may hold. Stepping Stones needs to be positioned to meet the needs not only of the COVID-19 pandemic but also future disasters, and the on-going challenges of people who are at risk of hunger or homelessness at any time. We’re so grateful for this opportunity provided by the Community Foundation to grow our endowment and become stronger as an organization—in order to serve the people of Dunn County both now and in the future.” -Katherine Dutton, Executive Director of Stepping Stones of Dunn County.
