The Upper Valley Haven
Be Kind. Be Thoughtful. Be Helpful.
Haven Stories
Staff & Board
Mary Feeney
Shelter Manager
If anyone knows the Upper Valley Haven, it is Mary Feeney. Mary joined The Haven in its infancy when she and her husband Paul took the job as host couple for The Haven shelter in 1982. “It was a vocation and ministry for us. We put our all into it.” For the last twenty four years, Mary has undoubtedly continued to “put her all” into selflessly serving people struggling with poverty and homeless in the Upper Valley. Along with area churches, the Feeneys created The Haven Food Shelf and Clothing Room. The Feeneys also spent a lot of time speaking publicly about The Haven in the early years.
“This place is a living miracle—the miracles you see in peoples’ lives, the miracles of people who come to help us. Oftentimes, our needs are met even before we voice them to the community.” Mary warmly recalls a Sunday morning years ago when there was only one teaspoon left in the shelter. She put plastic spoons in the silverware drawer and thought that she would ask around the upcoming week for donations of teaspoons. When Mary returned to the shelter, she found a large bag of teaspoons at the door with a note saying that the donor had just felt like The Haven had needed some extra spoons. “I hadn’t even put the word out!”
Mary is an active member on the task force working to secure a site for a new Haven shelter for single adults. She shares a vision with many of The Haven’s staff of building transitional housing with services, as well as developing a for-profit business that would generate some of the funding for The Haven’s operating costs every year. “The way to take the pulse of The Haven—and to know whether we are carrying out our mission—is to witness whether or not the miracles continue to happen.”