Women’s Emergency Centre Appeal 1980

WOMEN’S EMERGENCY CENTRE (HASTINGS) INC

PH 89-519   P.O. BOX 328

STREET APPEAL AND SHOP DAY
FRIDAY 16TH MAY 1980

The Women’s Emergency Centre will be holding its main fundraising event slightly later than usual this year and we are appealing to your organisation for support and help.  Friday 16th May will unfortunately fall within the school holidays and we know that many of our members will be away on holiday 25 will many of yours.  But if there are any people available and willing to assist us we would be most grateful.  Because of the timing we are in the process of acquiring creche facilities for collectors and stall attendants, as yet the details are not settled but we can guarantee to provide child minding care for anyone requiring it.

We will also be having a stall in conjunction with the street appeal and would gratefully receive any contributions your members could give towards it or any help in manning the stall.

The centre itself has had a very busy year.  We had to move premises halfway through last year and are again in the process of shifting.  Thankfully this house should be permanent and at last we are able to give women needing us the assurance that we will still be here tomorrow if they should require shelter.  Indeed there seems to be a great many women needing refuge as the centre has been full most of the year and we have had to house over 22 people at a time on many occasions.  This, I might add, was in a 4 four bedroomed house and all the people were in desperate straits.  Our finances and voluntary help have been stretched to the hilt although Government recognition, in the form of a grant has boosted us greatly. The more women we deal with the more areas of need we see and we are constantly looking at ways to meet this need.  At present we are trying to establish a secondary stage home for women who are not yet ready for full integration into the community and a place to house women and children with urgent accommodation problems (an area we have had difficulty coping with in the past).  These projects all require funding and for this reason we hope to make our street appeal a success – can we rely on your help?

If so could those people willing to help out please leave their names and phone numbers with us by phoning (89-519) or writing to us (Box 328).

May we also at this juncture express our thanks to all those organisations and individuals that have helped and supported us in the past and we look forward to your continued interest in the future – without you the centre could not help the many women and children that have called on us for assistance.  THANK YOU.