She called first. "Someone told me you'd help me get clothing - is that true?"
"What's going on?"
She shared that she'd left an abusive situation with the clothes on her back and wasn't permitted back in her home to get any of her things...she lost her entire wardrobe. She needed clothing especially for work...I told her we'd give her whatever she needed - jammies, shoes, work clothes, tops, pants, coat..."now get busy shopping!"
It was hard for her to select things. Maybe she was uncertain what we would "allow" - maybe she was numb from her situation... but she wandered around aimlessly for several minutes. It was almost time to close and she was apologetic about making us stay late, so I gave some assistance. I sized her up then grabbed some dresses, pants, tops and gave her marching orders.
"OK, chickie, time to try on clothes - and we want to see them!" She dutifully retreated to the dressing room and began trying on the selections - and was stunned that she loved them! SCORE! Once she experienced the joy of looking good and feeling good, she expanded her shopping!
While she gathered some more goodies, her tearful mom relayed more of her heartbreaking story: she was mocked by her ex for being hearing impaired, her daughter was sent to school by him in pajama bottoms, a boy's shirt and hair uncombed. We discussed some options for garnering support from school without breaking court orders and other available resources. The young mom (and her mom) felt encouraged and empowered to move forward in this challenging conflict!
That's what YOU make possible by your support for our mission! We are a haven - with clothing to be sure, but also with encouragement, care and resources! That's women helping women!
WE'RE HERE FOR YOU!
