The 2020 winter holiday season was difficult for many. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people were feeling isolated from their families and friends during what should be a joyful time of year. The holiday season, even during a normal year, is particularly hard for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Keeping this population in her heart, Random Acts Finance Manager Suzie Scrivner donated critical items to WCA, a nonprofit in Boise, Idaho.
WCA: Safety, Healing, and Freedom
WCA, formerly known as the Women’s and Children’s Alliance, has been supporting survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault in Boise, Idaho for over 40 years. They provide a number of vital services, including 24-hour crisis hotlines, advocacy services, support groups, and life skills classes. WCA also has a domestic abuse shelter, which provides free on-site childcare. Donations of items like cleaning supplies, baby food, and hygiene products allow WCA to spend their funds on direct client services. Suzie heard from a former classmate that WCA was facing an increased need for things like cooking utensils, pots, pans, and casserole dishes. These items are important for clients “who can use them in their new homes as they start new lives free from abuse,” Suzie explains. Rising to meet the need, Suzie set out to do what she could to help.
The Giving Tree
Suzie’s plan was two-pronged: she scoured WCA’s wish list for their most-needed items, and she ventured to downtown Boise to claim tags from the giving tree, which benefited WCA’s clients. At the giving tree, Suzie strategically “walked around and read all of them to see which items seemed to have been selected the least.” Between the wish list and the giving tree, using funds provided by our generous donors, Suzie was able to purchase over 50 items! She dropped off the donations, which included dishes, alarm clocks, blankets, pans, and cooking utensils. Several others were dropping off donations at the same time, and Suzie said she felt “very happy that they were getting so much support from the community.”
