The Safe Center is in the final days of its annual Holiday Gift Card drive to provide critical items to Long Islanders escaping domestic violence and other forms of abuse.
The gift cards are intended to be used by parents and other family taking care of young children impacted by domestic and other forms of interpersonal violence to have the dignified experience of purchasing their child’s gift themselves.
“Gift cards are the easiest way for us to provide essential items for people who have been uprooted from home environments and may be starting over from scratch,” said Joshua Hanson, Executive Director of The Safe Center. “Whether parents and caregivers want to purchase a present for a child or some other essential item, we want them to begin to reclaim their dignity and choice that may have been taken from them by their abuser. A gift card can be a small purchase, but it carries an enormous benefit to the recipient.”
The Safe Center recommends gift cards to Target and Walmart since they can be used in person. Amazon gift cards are discouraged because survivors typically don’t have a reliable street address for delivery of packages.
The Safe Center can also purchase gift cards on a donor’s behalf. Donations can be sent via check to The Safe Center Holiday Gift Card Drive, 15 Grumman Road West Bethpage, NY 11714. Donations are tax deductible.
In the past year, The Safe Center has responded to more than 6,000 hotline calls and assisted nearly 4,000 survivors impacted by Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Human Trafficking and Child Sexual & Severe Physical Abuse on Long Island. More than 27-thousand people have attended educational trainings raising awareness on how to recognize, respond to and prevent future incidents of abuse.
About The Safe Center
The Safe Center, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, is the leading victim service organization in Nassau County, providing comprehensive and trauma-informed services for victims of interpersonal violence including domestic violence, child sexual and severe physical abuse, rape and sexual assault, human trafficking, and elder abuse. In 2014, The Safe Center was created by the merger of the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence (founded in 1978) and the Coalition Against Child Abuse & Neglect (founded in 1979). This merger created a highly integrated service model to empower victims of interpersonal violence to recover from their abuse. The Safe Center operates a 24-hour Hotline (516-542-0404) providing crisis intervention, access to services, and information and support. Visit https://www.tscli.org for more information.