Our purpose is to provide welcome bags filled with new pajamas and personal items for women and children who arrive at Black Dog Hill, a domestic abuse shelter. Several years ago, one of our neighbors talked to some of her friends about her passion for helping abused families who were living in shelters as she herself had been abused. She learned about two other friends who had bought, refurbished and donated a farmhouse in central MN to Family Pathways an organization that helps family’s who are transitioning from abusive situations. Our goal was that those family members in the shelter feel that they mattered and are loved, even if that love came from strangers. Hand sewn bags are filled with personal care items that surviviors of domestic abuse may need as they evacuate abusive situations and land in transitional housing. Each bag contains a brand new pair of pajamas and slippers and some personal care items. Each child also gets a bag with pajamas, care items, and a toy or a book. Each bag has a handwritten inspirational note to let these women know they are loved by people they have never met. We have almost no overhead, .98 of every dollar donated goes to the people we help. We do all the acquisition, organization, and inventorying ourselves. Another neighbor has donated her basement for us to inventory our stock in. Each bag costs about $75 to put together.
