Remember at the end of September when I wrote to you about My City Youth Center?  This shelter is the only one I know of that protects children 8-18 (who come to them alone, not brought with their mother fleeing abuse).  These children have been traumatized themselves, some fled from their homes due to abuse, some tried to make it on the streets as prostitutes, and/or some were exploited by adults in trafficking of one kind or another.  I don’t know how they find out about this shelter (it is in Hemet), but it is a haven for them. 

At the time I first wrote to you about them, we had just finished shipping 168 baby items to 21 shelters.  Because I heard about them after we finished the shipping of baby items, I didn’t have any for this shelter, which has a big number of pregnant teens, all of whom would have been very appreciative of the baby items we make.  So I put out a call for more baby items, and many of you answered.  One of our volunteers even made baby bags with matching hats and a toy.  What a package.

Here’s what happened.  A few weeks later, we had a big number of baby items again, enough to share with 22 shelters.  We divided up everything (I gave My City Youth Center two shares to make up for the shipping they missed) and shipped them out with the hats at the beginning of this month.  UPS picked up all the packages on a Tuesday; they were delivered on Wednesday, and  on Thursday I* received a photo a baby in one of the baby bags, wearing the matching hat.  Just that fast.  

If you didn’t realize it before this, what you do makes a difference in the lives of the people who seek protection in the shelters we serve.  Thank you so much! 

Right now, we’re in the throes of shipping scarves to all our regular shelters as well as about 20 others.  We have so many scarves we can share them with so many shelters.  That’s thanks to you, too!  I’ll let you know the totals when we finish.  Keep up the good work. 

Happy Thanksgiving.  Count your blessings.  We have so many.  

Love, 

Leslye