We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from our community.

Your generosity enables us to provide safety and essential resources for survivors of intimate partner abuse.  

Knowing this, many supporters are surprised that we can’t accept used donations. There are many reasons why and lots of ways to still make a significant impact. 

Why no used donations? 

We just don’t have enough space. Our emergency shelter is at capacity almost every night. The shelter’s small basement stores food, towels, sheets, personal supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, trash bags, and other essentials for more than 300 adults and children each year.  

Thanks to donation drives and annual events like Shop & Share, the basement remains full for most of the year. 

Last year it took more than 500 hours of staff and volunteer time to keep the basement tidy. The time needed to sort and organize used donations limits the number of advocacy and healing services we can provide.  

Ensuring a clean and safe environment is crucial, and accepting only new items helps us maintain these standards.

It’s also about empowerment. Abusers have told survivors they’re unworthy, harmed their bodies, and destroyed their well-being. It’s our goal to embrace survivors with options, choices, and self-determination as they re-imagine their lives after surviving abuse. 

Partnerships make this possible. 

Our longtime partnerships with area Goodwill stores (see map) and Habitat ReStore locations (see map) make a difference in the lives of survivors. Both organizations issue vouchers to our organization that are then distributed for survivors to shop for needed items. 

This process offers survivors the chance to choose clothing that fits their bodies, lifestyles, and work/school dress codes. When it’s safe for adults and children to move out of the shelter, these vouchers also help survivors obtain tables, chairs, dishes, coffee pots, toasters, and other items necessary to begin again. 

Be sure to let our partners know we referred your donation to them. It helps keep our partnerships strong! 

New Donations 

If you’d like to contribute, there are several meaningful ways to help.  

  1. Monetary donations allow us to address the most urgent needs promptly.  
  2. Gift cards to local stores allow residents to choose exactly what they need.  
  3. We also keep a wish list of most needed items here and a gift list at amazon.com that can be shipped directly to our shelter address.  

Thank you for understanding and supporting us in creating a safe, welcoming environment for survivors. Your compassion and generosity are greatly appreciated.