Emergency Food Box Program for DV Victims

The emergency food bag program was introduced in the heights of the COVID-19 to support women owned households who were food insecure, this program has played a crucial role in assisting women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence.

The program has supported vulnerable households in a number of ways including but not limited to the following:

Immediate sustenance:

Survivors of gender-based violence often face critical situations that require immediate attention and support. Providing emergency food bags ensures that women and girls have access to nourishing food during their time of need. This helps address the immediate hunger and nutritional needs that may arise due to displacement or other challenging circumstances.

Safety and confidentiality:

Emergency food bags are distributed to supported survivors of gender-based violence. We prioritize the safety and confidentiality of survivors, creating a secure environment where women and girls can access food without fear or judgment.

Empowerment and autonomy:

By providing emergency food bags, the program enables survivors to exercise autonomy over their basic needs. It allows them to have control over what they eat and when, providing a sense of empowerment during a time when their autonomy may have been violated. This helped restore a sense of agency and dignity for survivors.

Supportive services:

The emergency food bag program was implemented to support survivors but their support also included counseling, legal aid, medical assistance, and case management. By collaborating with existing programs, the emergency food bags serves as a gateway to additional comprehensive support, ensuring survivors receive holistic care.

Awareness and information:

The distribution of emergency food bags also serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about resources and services available to survivors. It includes informational materials or contacts for helplines, support groups, and organizations that specialize in addressing gender-based violence. This helps ensure that survivors are informed about their rights, available assistance, and potential avenues for long-term support.

Collaboration and partnerships:

The emergency food bag program strengthened our partnerships with our client based to ensure food security and awareness of gender-based violence. By joining forces, we were able to leverage our expertise, resources, and networks to provide more comprehensive support to survivors in a more coordinated and effective manner.

While the emergency food bags has provided immediate assistance, it is crucial to address the root causes of gender-based violence through long-term measures, such as prevention initiatives, education, advocacy, and policy reforms.

Providing food support to domestic violence survivors facing challenges in regards to food security is a deterrent and can actually minimize domestic violence among women.

Many survivors exiting domestic violence relationships are reporting difficulties in accessing resources within the community, families, etc. Survivors are always concerned regarding access to food and other basic needs such as transportation, securing safe housing, employment, and affordable child care and even domestic violence shelters that provide supportive services to victims of crime and abuse.

There is a lack of both access, choice in both housing options and the communities they could move into, as well as an overall lack of stability and structure in the transition process and beyond. They also have difficulties in accessing community resources and stressed that additional resources are needed to protect domestic violence victims and their children in the community.

Sometimes victims and survivors have to move into overcrowded apartments, returned to apartment or homes where the abusive partner lives, or returned to the abusive relationship after discovering a lack of food, housing, employment, and/or monies to support themselves and children.

We provide food and other domestic violence support services to protect the lives of both women and their children so they do not return to domestic violence situations and they can be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society as safe and productive individuals.

Links:

• Organization Website