By Melissa Martin-Simmons
The Towson University Police Department has teamed up with the House of Ruth Maryland to collect everyday household items that can be given to victims of domestic abuse, a spokesperson for TUPD said.
The donation drive, which started Feb. 1 and runs until Friday, is collecting new linens, personal care items, baby supplies and office supplies. Towson students can drop off donations in the University Union or the main administration building.
“This is our way to give back to the community,” TUPD Cpl. Kia Williams said. “These women need help.”
According to the American Bar Association, 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year in the United States. One in two of these women will experience domestic violence by age 22, the ABA said.
When women escape from an abusive loved one, they come to domestic violence centers with little to nothing, said Faith Savill, a community relations specialist with the House of Ruth Maryland, a domestic abuse facility that provides 84 rooms and six extended living apartments for abused women in Baltimore.
Savill said the donations received during the drive will be used in a welcome basket for women and children who come to the facility.
“They [women and families] leave their homes in a very rushed way,” she said. “Most come in with the clothes they are wearing and a backpack.You can’t possibly bring your whole house with you.”
Towson’s Black Student Union and Sisterhood, an organization that hosts community service activities, also supports the House of Ruth Maryland. The organization held a Valentine’s Day auction on Feb. 13 that raised over $1,400 for the House of Ruth Maryland, according to Tiara Swain, the Black Student Union’s president.
Monetary donations will help the organization in several ways, Savill said.
The House of Ruth Maryland has helped over 15,000 women and families since its start in 1977, Savill said. The facility assigns mothers and families a client service coordinator who helps them find jobs, housing and new schools for their children. Legal, health and counseling services are also given, Savill said. She said most women and children stay for 30 to 60 days.
Only 400 mothers and families live in the House of Ruth Maryland per year. Legal and counseling services, however, are available to mothers and families who do not live in the shelter, Savill said. Monetary donations help the organization provide these services.
“We need these things all year around,” she said. “Our shelter is at 100 percent capacity all the time. Everyone can donate something small.”