Donations to the Harvest Food and Supply Drive support survivors of domestic abuse and their children utilizing Safe Home services. Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan staff members are pictured with some of the needed items (front from left) Megan King, Chris Krajewski, Haley Fortune, (back from left) Jamie Weaver, Amy Strohpaul, Lindsey Walker, Autumn Sobleski and Jamie Winters.

The Harvest Food and Supply Drive is an annual appeal to support women and children at the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan’s (WRCNM) Safe Home who are seeking safety from domestic abuse. The donation drive is a way for community members, groups and organizations to make a meaningful difference in the lives of domestic abuse survivors in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties who are utilizing these vital services while working to regain control of their lives.

WRCNM staffs and operates the Safe Home 24-hours a day, 365 days a week. Last year, the Safe Home provided survivors and their children with 1,952 nights of shelter, more than 5,800 meals and all their daily needs. WRCNM provides these services to survivors at no cost. Nonperishable donations and financial contributions offset annual food and supply costs which exceed $25,000.

Safe Home Coordinator, Jamie Winters said, “The kindness of donations is felt deeply by the families at the Safe Home; just knowing people care is immensely important during a challenging time in their lives.” Harvest Food and Supply Drive donations such as non-perishable foods, grocery gift cards, household goods and personal care items, provide a much needed feeling of ‘home’ to many area families who often arrive without personal belongings.

“The supplies needed are similar to what you use on a regular basis in your own home: paper products, canned goods, cleaning supplies, laundry soap, cereal and coffee,” said Winters. “The mothers who come to the Safe Home with their young children often need items such as diapers, diaper rash cream, baby bottles and formula.” Winters said the Safe Home Needs List can help donors find out what items are currently needed; it is available on the WRCNM website, at www.wrcnm.org.

Donations and financial contributions can be brought to the WRCNM main office at 423 Porter Street in Petoskey; Gold Mine Resale Shops in Petoskey; and WRCNM offices in Cheboygan, Gaylord and Mancelona. For more information or to arrange for pick-up of items, contact Safe Home Coordinator, Jamie Winters at (231) 347-1572.