WINGS is a non-profit program that provides safe housing and ongoing support to victims of domestic violence in the Chicago area. As the organization explains on its official website, “Victims who are actively fleeing a violent situation can find refuge at our Safe Houses – with or without their children. Our Safe Houses provide temporary shelter, safety planning, food and clothing.” On top of these emergency shelters, WINGS also offers “transitional and permanent housing [to] help victims and their children continue to move forward with rebuilding their lives after escaping a violent situation.”
Random Acts Social Media Officer Julie Merar and her friend Alisha Chamat first heard about WINGS through a donation drive at work, and quickly spotted an opportunity for an act of kindness. Alisha contacted WINGS to find out which of the items on their wishlist they needed most urgently. According to Julie, “It turns out that children’s slippers are something they never seem to have enough of, and the staff often spend their own money to keep them on hand.”
After securing funding from Random Acts — made possible thanks to generous donations from supporters — Julie and Alisha were able to buy 67 pairs of slippers for WINGS. But that’s not all, as Julie explained: “With both of us being recent moms, we decided to spread the funding out to purchase some other necessities like infant pain medications, shampoo, and baby oil.”
Alisha and Julie personally delivered the items to WINGS, where they met with the Manager of Volunteer Services, Bruna Srb. And as Julie explained, their donation came just at the right time. “Bruna mentioned that they had just run out of infant pain reliever. Our mommy instincts paid off, and helped avoid staff from having to purchase the items with their own money.”