The holiday season may be over, but community members in Lincoln County continue to design new, innovative ways of supporting the women and children living at the Nest domestic violence shelter.
Many of these generous individuals make smaller donations on an ongoing basis throughout the year, bringing in whatever they find that seems to fit the bill. Their donations are inspiring because they illustrate a message: you don’t have to have money, knowledge, or resources to support HEAL – everything helps.
Green Eggs: Residents of the Nest have been thrilled with one interesting donation: green eggs! Connie and Dan Isbell raise chickens and have seen their hens have a far more productive winter than expected. The two have donated boxes full of white, orange, and green eggs to the shelter twice now, with no end in sight. Residents enjoy the higher quality and knowing where their food is coming from.
Sierra Blanca Regional Airport: On two occasions, staff at Sierra Blanca Regional Airport found themselves with far too many heads of lettuce. Rather than letting the food go to waste, they elected to call The Nest to see if the shelter could use it. Food donations such as these have a big impact on the grocery budget when feeding over 40 people a day.
Lap Robes: One generous member of the Community United Methodist Church of Ruidoso got to work before the holiday season, busily collecting bolts of reused fabrics and sewing them together into lap robes. Altogether, the shelter received about eight different lap robes, with designs ranging from Mickey Mouse to holiday themes. The robes also were used as baby blankets during the recent cold snaps.
First Presbyterian Church: Judith Howard, Chairwoman of First Presbyterian’s outreach committee, has been a long-time supporter of HEAL’s mission. The committee, which also includes members Lou Mariner, Ellen Blume, and Ann Volte, recently dropped off a large donation, straight off the Nest’s Holiday Wish List – a new flat screen television for the children’s activities room. In the past, Howard and the committee also have made donations such as bags of personal items, toiletries and clothing.
Fourth Grade Class: Fourth grade teacher Andria Burgess-Childress taught her students about the value of giving and supporting others just before Christmas break. Many students went home and returned the next morning with clothes, toys and games to be dropped off at the Nest. The class not only supported those in need, but also learned a valuable lesson about being grateful and helping others.
Though these donors, along with many others, often disregard their actions as small or insignificant, they are powerful commitments to helping create a community free of violence. These community-driven donations give Lincoln County and Mescalero the important power to assist victims and survivors, advocate for policy change and make our world safer.
Pictured are the Nest’s green eggs, donated by Connie and Dan Isbell.
