The Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) is holding their annual Harvest Food and Supply Drive in an effort to collect needed items for survivors of domestic abuse and their children staying at the Safe Home.

The Safe Home provides a safe, supportive and caring residence for families in Northern Michigan who often arrive at the emergency shelter without personal belongings.

And because the Safe Home is operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, the need for food and supplies is constant.  Over the past year, a total of 3,041 nights of safe shelter were provided to 135 women and their children with food and supply costs exceeding $25,000.

“The community has been very supportive in past years, and we depend on that support,” said Safe Home Coordinator, Jamie Winters.  “Your gifts of non-perishable food, paper products, cleaning supplies and personal care items help survivors of domestic abuse and their children who are staying at the Safe Home feel welcome during a very challenging time in their lives.”

A sampling of just some of the items on the Safe Home Needs List includes non-perishable food items such as cereal, fruit juice, peanut butter and boxed meals.  Household supplies include laundry detergent, toilet paper, dish soap and bath towels.  The Safe Home shelters many children who require diapers, baby food, infant formula and spill-proof cups.  Personal care items for both adults and children are also needed including lotion, toothpaste, body wash and hair brushes.  Financial donations are also welcome—a $75 donation will feed and house a family of four at the Safe Home for a week.

The complete Safe Home Needs List is available on the agency’s website at wrcnm.org, or by calling the WRCNM.  Donations can be brought to the WRCNM Administrative Office or either Gold Mine Resale Shop in Petoskey, Bondurant in Petoskey’s Gaslight District, or to our offices in Cheboygan, Gaylord or Mancelona.  For more information, or to arrange for a pickup of items, please call (231) 347-1572.