For many people, the holidays are a joyful time spent with family. But for women in crisis, experiencing homelessness or domestic violence, the holidays take on a very different meaning. As part of #RAHolidayKindness, Events Coordinator Jennifer Santangelo and supporter Suzie Setzler took the opportunity to make the season a little brighter for women in need in their communities.
Safe Harbor in Florida
Self-care donations for women in crisis
In Florida, Jennifer connected with Harbor House, which provides critical services and support to survivors of domestic violence. Along with providing direct assistance to those in crisis, Harbor House engages the community to help recognize signs of domestic abuse. With funding from Random Acts, Jennifer was able to assemble and donate 10 gift bags for members of Harbor House’s domestic support group. The gift bags were filled with self-care indulgences like fluffy socks, scented lotion, face masks, and even notebooks and pens for journaling. One of the workers at the center noticed that some of the notebooks had elephants on them; she mentioned that that was actually their unofficial symbol for domestic violence. “It is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about.”
Comfort in Downtown LA
Suzie’s team assembling hygiene bags for women experiencing homelessness
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Suzie got a number of her office tenants involved in a large-scale donation for the Downtown Women’s Center. Suzie’s team got together and packed 100 hygiene kits for women experiencing homelessness, along with handwritten note cards of support. In addition to the hygiene kits, Suzie asked participants to bring gently-used career clothing to donate as well. While they were at the center, they were able to take a tour of the facility and learn more about what the Downtown Women’s Center is doing to help women in need.
We are so thankful to both of these women for seeing a need in their communities and reaching out to us for help. And thanks to your ongoing generosity, we were able to help give a little bit of comfort to women in need during the holiday.