Houston Global Gift Registry
Because of the unexpected winter storm devastation that hit Houston in February 2021, we launched our 6th Global Gift Registry for the Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) early in an effort to get them emergency supplies as their city battled unprecedented cold weather. HAWC is a non-profit that helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault rebuild their lives through advocacy, counseling, education and shelter support services. In total, we sent Houston over $20,000 in products.
In February 2020, our global community found ourselves once again with broken hearts glued to screens trying to understand what went wrong in Houston and how we assist. I spoke with Chau Nguyen of HAWC as they struggled to regain normalcy and together we modified our Global Gift Registry to include gifts that will help right now as they try to return their shelter and hotel placements back to normal. Click this LINK to purchase critical items that will continue to supp0rt HAWC:
- Water
- Snacks and non-perishable food
- Women’s clothing
- Children’s clothing
- Visa Prepaid Gift Cards
So what happened in Houston back in February 2021? HAWC usually shelters up to 120 women and children nightly at its non-residential campus. To make room for social distancing, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, HAWC moved some women to a nearby hotel. This week, the hotel lost power for nearly 48 hours, meaning these families had no electricity, heat or clean running water. In the midst of citywide power outages in Houston, HAWC was forced to move those women back into the main shelter, which thankfully, has generators. Logistically, this was incredibly challenging for everyone. HAWC’s tireless staff managed this unexpected crisis while also trying to tend to their own families at home. With no electricity, cell phones ran out of charges making communication nearly impossible at times. The shelter also ran low on food and safe drinking water. All of this happens in unprecedented freezing temperatures and against the backdrop of COVID-19 still ravaging the Houston community. It’s a nightmare.
Pause for one minute. Can you imagine being homeless during a global pandemic and staying in a hotel that suddenly lost electricity, heat and water during unprecedented freezing temperatures? Let us not forget that many of these families are also hiding from their abusers and already afraid and emotionally fraught.
How can you help? It seems like just yesterday that we started the Global Gift Registry in Miami because we wanted homeless women to know that people cared. The mission remains the same. We showered the city of Houston with love and support by sending them the supplies they needed in the moment. Click this LINK to purchase a gift.
We formally launched the 6th Global Gift Registry for HAWC on Sunday, February 28 with all our usual fanfare. As Pablo said, “never underestimate the difference you can make in the lives of others. Step forward, reach out, and help. Reach out to someone that might need a lift.”
How can YOU Participate in our next Global Gift Registry?
- Please email us at support@globalgiftregistry.org if you will serve as a “Hostess” for the Global Gift Registry. We list hostesses names on the promotional materials and request the following: (1) Purchase a gift from the Global Gift Registry. Every gift counts. We select a wide range of products to encourage broad participation.; and (2) Share the Global Gift Registry Target link with at least 10 family, friends and colleagues asking them to join you in buying a gift to support women, children and families.The Global Gift Registry makes it easy by providing you with sample copy that you can forward via email, text and/or post on social media. The virtual options are endless!
- If you don’t want to serve as a “Hostess” but would still like to participate, once our Global Gift Registry goes live, you (and/or your corporation) can purchase a gift from the registry and then consider sharing the Target.com link with your network.