Last week, a friend of mine, who is the director of a local (to us) women’s shelter, reached out for help for a mama of four who needed temporary housing this month. Soon after, a similar need was voiced for yet another mom and her children facing homelessness at Christmas. The need is great right now, but the shelter is full and the respite account is dry.
Mary’s Shelter is an amazing non-profit that provides long-term housing and assistance for pregnant mothers and their children, helping the moms get on their feet and work towards self-sufficiency. In addition to offering long-term help, the shelter offers respite to those needing short-term assistance. This might be in the form of paying for a hotel room for a couple of weeks until housing is secured.
Shelters that can take in women and their children, and do so in a home environment, in a way that helps them actually create better lives for themselves are so needed. This is exactly what Mary’s Shelter does. We are hoping that you might help us help them, through a raffle of some of our handmade items.
I finished knitting this beautiful shawl using naturally dyed, American wool yarn early this year, and then tucked it away hoping to put it to good use someday. You have an opportunity to win this shawl along with one of Jonny’s Little Bird shawl pins (a combined value of $250+) and support women and children in crisis as well!
How to enter:
A donation of $10 gives you a chance to win, and of course you can donate in larger amounts for more chances, in $10 increments. Just select the combination of entry options that equals your donation amount. If you need to, you can spread your entries over more than one day. Donations are tax deductible. The raffle will end on Monday night, at 12 a.m. EST. I will ship anywhere in the world. I’ll get this in the mail on Tuesday, so that if you are in the U.S. you should have it before Christmas!
To donate, go to this page and scroll down to the one-time donation button. Once you click that, you will have the option of entering your donation amount (you can pay by either paypal or credit card.) In the box that says, “special instructions to seller” please type: “respite fund.” After you make your donation, you should receive an email with a transaction i.d. number. You will need to copy and paste that into the Rafflecopter widget below when you enter.
Thank you for helping!
pgerhardt says
I donated but did not see where you were to write respite fund. Oh well… Hope they are blessed by your supporters Ginny!
Emily says
I only seem to have gotten a receipt # from PayPal, so I entered that. I wasn’t able to find a separate “Transaction” number. My receipt # also was only 16 digits with no letters. I hope I did that right! I am all teary from watching those videos. What a wonderful organization. Thanks for letting us know about the need. I’m praying for those mamas and volunteers tonight.
Ellen says
Ginny – sorry to hear about this but glad that you are using your God-given creativity to help. Just donated. Came at just the right time today – very providential!
Penelope says
Oh, Ginny. This is beautiful. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this worthy cause. I used to be a single mother to my oldest boy, Aidan. I’m married now, have a daughter and another little one growing in my belly as we speak. I don’t struggle as much as I used to, but I will always, always remember and have a soft spot in my heart for mamas and children in need. I know firsthand that temporary help, being treated with dignity and respect, and being given opportunity can make all the difference for mom and child’s future.
The scarf and pin are STUNNING! Sending love to you all.
(Confirmation #: 24H21214FS323382R)
Karen in SC says
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that messed up. I typed “respite fund” instead of my transaction number, which was 39R96197SG052694M.
Sue Button says
Transaction ID: 3YB66526X7755981A – $20 donated. What a wonderful cause. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to help! Love Sue & family. Merry Christmas to you and yours 🙂
Beth Beal says
So Grateful for the opportunity to help. I am pretty sure I did this wrong to. 🙁 I donated $25.00 and I don’t think I put respite fund in.
Ginny says
That’s okay! Thank you for giving! 🙂
Pam says
Confirmation number: 8WW12812VN1765315
I forgot to put in Respite Fund but here is my Payday confirmation. I made a $20.00 donation and I so hope I win this lovely shawl and help these homeless Moms at the same time. Thank you for the opportunity to help.
Jordin says
What an opportunity you have right now!! You have a SECOND house, that is empty.
Ginny says
Ah, if only it were that simple. 🙂 We’re doing what we can.
Jordin says
You do so much. Wouldn’t it be nice if life was that simple?
Wendi says
I’m so happy to be blessed enough to be able to contribute. Selfishly, I would LOVE to win one of the birdie shawl pins. I have been trying to buy one of those but I’m terrible at trying to get online at just the right time. Life moves too fast around here. Once I had one in my cart, but it was gone before I could check out!
Thank you for your compassionate and giving spirit to meet the needs around you.
Barbara says
Ginny,
I see a list of items needed. Do you happen to know if I would be able to purchase some of the items thru Amazon and have them sent to Mary’s House? Or your friend for Mary’s House? Since I am unable to drop them off? Thanks for your help.
Lucy says
I donated but forgot to specify respite care. I’m sorry! What can I do to fix it?
Ginny says
No worries! Your donation will be put to good use either way! Kathleen, my friend, the director, uses every dollar to help women, and when the money runs out she uses her own. This year has just been a tough one–so much need out there.
Lucy says
Ok! Very happy to help 🙂