Dear Be Alright Community,
Not too long ago, I spent time cooking with a group of mothers and their children living at a local domestic violence shelter. We talked about the challenges of not having what you want or need to eat and we also talked about celebrations. One of the mothers, a young woman whose birthday it was that day, didn’t know how she would be celebrating since she was homeless, this wasn’t her kitchen and the people she was living with were new to her. It made me wonder about the interplay between DV and homelessness. It also humbled me to the core at how readily I could access the food I not only needed but wanted that day.
Some important stats:
So as we near our special moments of transition and celebration, please join our campaign to feed every mother and her family living or being supported by the domestic violence organizations we serve: Apna Ghar, Centro Romero, House of the Good Shepherd, Madonna House, Greenhouse, Su Casa, Maria Shelter and Family Rescue on May, 12, 2019: Mother's Day. We have asked these wonderful organizations if this meal (decided upon by the mothers and families themselves) would be helpful and they all responded with a resounding YES!
Thank you all for your generous support as we help create a special day filled with love, celebration and a delicious meal for the 250 wonderful neighbors. For every $20 you give, a mother, teen or child managing homelessness and surviving domestic violence, will be fed.
Great Love,
Dr. Sonia Oyola
Be Alright Founder
Not too long ago, I spent time cooking with a group of mothers and their children living at a local domestic violence shelter. We talked about the challenges of not having what you want or need to eat and we also talked about celebrations. One of the mothers, a young woman whose birthday it was that day, didn’t know how she would be celebrating since she was homeless, this wasn’t her kitchen and the people she was living with were new to her. It made me wonder about the interplay between DV and homelessness. It also humbled me to the core at how readily I could access the food I not only needed but wanted that day.
Some important stats:
- The National Alliance to End Homelessness suggests that on a single night in January one out of every 12 individuals who were homeless reported experiencing domestic violence. And a particularly vulnerable group of individuals are mothers and their children. In fact, in the city of Chicago, there are only two shelters that allow a boy over the age of 12 to move in with his family.
- Family separation is a trauma that cannot be measured or imagined.
- Homelessness is therefore a challenging and heartbreaking consequence of domestic violence which leaves us wondering, “How can we be of service?”
So as we near our special moments of transition and celebration, please join our campaign to feed every mother and her family living or being supported by the domestic violence organizations we serve: Apna Ghar, Centro Romero, House of the Good Shepherd, Madonna House, Greenhouse, Su Casa, Maria Shelter and Family Rescue on May, 12, 2019: Mother's Day. We have asked these wonderful organizations if this meal (decided upon by the mothers and families themselves) would be helpful and they all responded with a resounding YES!
Thank you all for your generous support as we help create a special day filled with love, celebration and a delicious meal for the 250 wonderful neighbors. For every $20 you give, a mother, teen or child managing homelessness and surviving domestic violence, will be fed.
Great Love,
Dr. Sonia Oyola
Be Alright Founder
