(Photo: Facebook)
A plea from Crossroads for Women for help.
This comes after a kitchen fire extensively damaged their Blossom House, which is a shelter that provides a safe haven for four women who have escaped abusive relationships.
Executive Director Chantal Poirier says Canadian Red Cross has found temporary lodging, but they will need something else until they can find something more permanent, “The immediate need would be to find a location to house these women. The challenge is we are looking for individual units. Where they fall in our program and in our healing journey, they were in individual units. To have them share a home can be a challenge.”
Blossom House was already nearing the end of its functional life, and Crossroads had already launched the Next 40 Campaign, looking for financial assistance, construction material donations, and volunteer support to build a new residence called Winter Blossom.
This fire accelerated a need for this project.
Poirier says, “Unfortunately, from what I was told yesterday, our insurance will not cover the cost of the full replacement value nor does it cover the contents in the building. We do have a little bit of funds, but not enough to rebuild or replace everything that was lost.”
She adds, “There is a need for financial support, but we are also looking for individual donations. Clothing and Gifts cards are great, and two of the women have cats. We always seem to forget about the cats, but they are near and dear to them. So cat litter and cat food donations are also appreciated.”
If you would like to donate a physical item, or if you have a temporary place for these women to stay, Poirier asks that you contact Crossroads for Women first so they arrange for drop off or pick up.
If you are making a monetary donation, you can do so online
