Tables in a private room at Trattoria Dario overflowed with gifts for children and mothers at the 15th annual Toy Drive and Food Drive, hosted recently by Trish Hickey-Jones to benefit SafeSpace, which provides essential services to victims of domestic violence.
Hickey-Jones, the former owner of Blondie’s on Ocean, now sells her works through the online boutique Blondie’s Fashion & Frills. She said she is committed to making the holidays a little brighter for the women and children assisted by SafeSpace.
Women often arrive at a shelter battered, frightened and often with little but the clothes on their back, their terrified little ones in tow, so this measure of normalcy can mean the world to them.
“We look forward to doing it every year and we’re looking for a really, really good crowd,” said Hickey-Jones, expecting some 70 guests to either attend or just drop off their gifts.
“We collect toys and nonperishable food items. I also started asking for some adult items for the mothers, because they’re often forgotten. And this way the kids can have something to wrap up and give to their mom,” said Hickey-Jones.
SafeSpace hopes to open its newly renovated Vero Beach facility by the end of January. In the meantime, they are providing assistance to Indian River County clients out of office space at the United Against Poverty UP Center.
“We get all the domestic violence police reports on the Treasure Coast, and then we reach out to them to offer services,” said Abi Andujar, the SafeSpace outreach advocate for Indian River County. “We see if they need an injunction for protection, resources in the area, or relocation assistance with the office of the Attorney General. Since we’re the only certified domestic violence shelter in the Treasure Coast, we can certify those applications.”
In addition to providing emergency shelter and advocating on behalf of victims, SafeSpace offers intervention, including a 24-hour hotline, and comprehensive prevention programs, such as going to schools to talk about healthy relationships and parenting. Their legal service provides women with much-needed assistance with injunctions and court appearances.
For more information, visit safespacefl.org.
Photos provided
