WRCNM News

Harvest Food and Supply Drive donations essential

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Domestic Abuse Program staff display some of the non-perishable items needed during the Harvest Food and Supply Drive. The donation drive helps support domestic abuse survivors and their children utilizing Safe Home services provided 24/7 by the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan. Staff pictured (front, from left) Amy Strohpaul, Jamie Winters, Lauren Kutzler, Ann Purdy, Megan King, (back from left) Kim McQuistion, Jennifer DeVries, Angie Linsenman, Amber Whitmore-Michel and Haley Fortune.

The Harvest Food and Supply Drive of the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) is a meaningful way for community members to support domestic abuse survivors and their children who come to the Safe Home from Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties. Donations help restock pantry shelves and make the shelter “home” to the families utilizing these services.

Think about what it would be like to feel unsafe in your own home. Imagine you have no money, nor do you have family or friends who are able to offer you a place to stay. Some domestic abuse survivors feel they must choose between continued abuse and homelessness.

WRCNM Safe Home, operated 24/7, provides domestic abuse survivors and their children with a secure, supportive and caring place to stay while they regain control of their lives. Last year the Safe Home provided 2,898 nights of refuge to 133 women and children; more than 8,600 meals were provided to shelter residents along with all their daily needs.

WRCNM encourages individuals, groups and organizations to donate to the Harvest Food and Supply Drive. Donations are critical in offsetting annual food and supply costs that exceed $25,000, and will help ensure vital Safe Home services continue. Bring donations to the WRCNM main office and Gold Mine Resale Shops in Petoskey or to agency offices in Cheboygan, Gaylord and Mancelona. A Safe Home Needs List is available online at wrcnm.org. For more information, or to arrange for pick-up of items, call (231) 347-1572.