Safe Home staff members 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. Safe Home staff pictured include (front, from left) Jamie Moore, Angie Linsenman, Chris Krajewski, (back, from left) Kim McQuistion, Jen Rashleigh-Houser, Jennifer DeVries, Dar Charlebois and Jamie Winters.

Local survivors of domestic abuse arrive at the Safe Home during the day, in the dead of night, in snow and rain and on any day of the week. Sometimes they have young children in tow, sometimes they arrive with nothing more than the clothes on their back. They all have one thing in common – the hope for a safer, healthier life that is free from abuse.

The Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) is the non-profit organization that operates the Safe Home 24/7 and provides domestic abuse services to survivors at no charge. WRCNM staff members understand it may be difficult for people in the community to know what they can do to help survivors.

“One of the most significant ways community members can help make a difference in the lives of local domestic abuse survivors is through a donation to the Safe Home Harvest Food and Supply Drive,” said Safe Home Coordinator, Jamie Winters. She explained that the donation drive helps offset annual food and supply costs that exceed $25,000 annually.

During the past fiscal year, the Safe Home provided 140 survivors and their children from Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties with 2,926 nights of refuge. All of their daily needs and more than 8,700 meals were provided to these families in crisis. Winters said the need is constant. “Imagine what your own grocery bill would be if you had an additional 8-9 house guests every single night of the year,” Winters said, referencing the average number of people that are housed on any given night.

Donations to the Harvest Food and Supply Drive are vital in helping provide for the needs of these families. Donations of non-perishable foods, paper products, cleaning supplies and personal care items help make the shelter ‘home’ to the many families utilizing Safe Home services as they work to rebuild their lives. Financial gifts are also appreciated. Donations may be brought 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 at wrcnm.org. For more information, or to arrange for pick-up of items, call (231) 347-1572.