By Anna Richter

With the holidays just around the corner, many of us are beginning to think about warm meals with loved ones, and the joys of exchanging gifts. Many other local families with few resources are struggling to rebuild their lives after experiencing violence and they are solely focused on how they will pay rent, and provide food and winter clothing for their children.

For the ninth year in a row, South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center is organizing an opportunity for community members to come together to provide happier holidays for struggling adult and child survivors of violence.

Last year, the community adopted 300 individuals working closely with the Women’s Center. Each mother and child adopted expressed gratitude, and many mothers cried when they saw and wrapped the gifts donors brought for their children. We know that in these challenging times, more families than ever need your help.

There are many ways you or your business can help local families who have been working closely with South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center:

* Adopt a family and receive the Wish List completed by the family. You could really get into the holiday spirit and deliver these gifts to the family yourself, or arrange to drop the gifts off at the Women’s Center where the family can pick them up. There are families of all sizes to fit any budget.

* Donate non-perishable groceries or gift certificates for pre-cooked holiday meals at local grocery stores (such as Safeway) so families can enjoy special holiday meals and make happy memories together!

* Make a special end-of-the-year tax deductible donation toward the Women’s Center’s Adopt-a-Family Program or to support our other comprehensive and trusted services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

* Donate a $25 Safeway card to support our Emergency Domestic Violence Shelter’s life-skills program.

* Donate BlueGo bus passes to help our clients get to work, doctor’s appointments, counseling, and to other agencies providing support toward self-sufficiency.

* Drop off your holiday party bottles and cans at South Tahoe Refuse and let them know you’d like to donate the proceeds to South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center—they take care of mailing us a check.

* Call to learn about the many different ways we could put your energy to good work as a volunteer—one hour per week or even one per month would really help.

Call the Women’s Center, located at 2941 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe at (530) 544.2118 or email Sarah at sutzig@sltwc.org to let us know how you would like to make a difference in the life of a family affected by violence this holiday season.

Anna Richter is development director for the South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center.