Blanket Drive for Safe Haven

The Social Action Committee has initiated a drive for specific household goods for Safe Haven Shelter for Battered Women. Safe Haven serves a seven-county area in northern Minnesota, providing services and education for more than 1,500 women and children annually. They also accept referrals from other regions and states. Their mission is to “… provide safety for women who are battered and their children, and work to end violence against women.” As such, Safe Haven’s services include a 24-hour crisis shelter for women and children, legal advocacy, professional training and community education, and free education and support groups. 

Starting Tuesday, January 24th, Temple Israel members are invited and encouraged to donate the following household goods that are of specific and immediate need at Safe Haven: 

• Blankets for twin-sized beds;
• Bath-sized towels, hand towels, and wash clothes; and, 
• Dishware - specifically drinkware (tumblers for adults and small drinkware easily used by small hands) and cereal/soup bowl. Safe Haven prefers to receive sturdy plastic dishware for use in their kitchen so these items that can withstand drops and many washes in a dishwasher.

Note: All of these household goods may be donated as new or gently used, so long as the bedding and bath linens are not stained or otherwise in disrepair, and the dishware is not stained or broken. 

Labeled collection bins will be placed inside Temple Israel inside the front doors of the 2^nd floor Social Hall, and outside of the Temple office door in the 1^st floor lounge area. As items are collected, these will be delivered weekly to Safe Haven so they can be put to immediate use rather than waiting until the end of the drive to deliver any collected goods.

Out of the safety of the clients that use Safe Haven, the organization does not disclose its physical location here in Duluth. If you have specific questions about how you might contribute to this special “drive” or how you might otherwise contribute to Safe Haven, please contact Temple member Allyz Kramer Polacsek at 218.260.0826. You can also find more information about the organization at its website:  http://www.safehavenshelter.org/   

We will conclude the collection drive on March 7^th with the arrival of Purim, when we recall in our reading of Megillat Esther how Queen Vashti suffered abusive treatment from King Achashverosh.  We might indeed think of our January 24^th through March 7^th mitzvah project on behalf of Safe Haven Shelter as our own “United Vashti Appeal,”  recognizing that the immoral treatment of Vashti in the megillah has its parallels in contemporary society.  (See  http://jewschool.com/2011/03/17/25888/purim-women-violence-new-voices/ )