Donations from a Generous Community

Donations from a Generous Community

In June, House of Ruth received many generous in-kind donations from various organizations throughout D.C.

Breakthru Beverage DC organized a community outreach project for their management team and put together welcome bags full of personal hygiene supplies for clients. The National Capital Baptist Convention of Washington DC and Vicinity held a laundry detergent drive and delivered over 3,800 laundry detergent pods to our Madison program. The Order of the Eastern Star, Chapter Queen of Sheba #2 collected and donated countless items directly from our “Currently Needed Items” list!

We want to thank all these organizations for putting in their time and effort to donate to the House of Ruth. We are beyond appreciative of the generosity demonstrated by the individuals that felt the desire in their hearts to give and support.

For any additional information about donations, reach out to Elizabeth Kiker at ekiker@houseofruth.org.

Donations Needed: Hair Care Products for African-American Women

Our generous donors—donors just like you—often ask if we have any specific needs you can donate. Money is always a perfect fit, of course, but we do serve 90% African-American women, and many who wear their hair naturally have specific hair care needs. Specifically, we are looking for Shea Moisture Products for Hair [shampoo (women/kids), conditioner (women/kids), exfoliating pads, detangler conditioner and curling buttercream (for kids)]. For bath and body we are asking for Raw Shea Butter (face and body) bar soap, Raw Shea Butter and Mafura bar soap, and African Black soap body wash. Other brands are: Alikay Naturals, Carol’s Daughter, Alaffia, and Curls Dynasty.

We also always need laundry detergent as well as larger sizes (4-6!) diapers. 

For any additional information, reach out to Elizabeth Kiker at ekiker@houseofruth.org.

A Successful Boilers Fundraiser

After a boiler failed in one of our apartment buildings late last year, we have been working to replace the aging boilers in all of our buildings. We received a generous offer by a donor to provide a $20,000 matching gift toward the $80,000 cost to replace the boilers. In January, we reached out to our community of supporters to help us meet the $20,000 match, and in less than a month, we exceeded our goal — raising $20,823!

We are truly grateful to everyone who showed their support for the work we do at House of Ruth every day, and for participating in the boilers fundraiser to help us meet our goal. Because you care, you help make our work possible. On behalf of the women and children we serve at House of Ruth, thank you very much!

Help House of Ruth by Donating Your Car!

House of Ruth’s current and former board members, Darryl Christmon and Frances Christmon, know they raised their daughter so well — and we do, too, because when she went to donate her 20 year old car — she thought of House of Ruth first! Her donation (her beloved first car — see photo!) was sold by our partner, and the profit came to help women and children survivors of homelessness and domestic violence here at House of Ruth. You (and your family members) can do the same! Click here: careasy.org/nonprofit/houseofruth, and they will help you with the whole process.

Thank you for your ongoing support and considering your car donation — we couldn’t help the women and children we do without YOU! 

Pictured: Dana Christmon and her beloved white 2003 Honda Accord, just before she sold it.

2021 House of Ruth Holiday Wrap Up

And just like that, the holidays are over! But before we really move into the New Year, House of Ruth would love to say THANK YOU to everyone that participated in our Gifts for Families Holiday Program. With your generosity, we were able to provide every client with a gift this holiday season. With a goal of 652 gifts, we reached 416 gifts on our Target Holiday Registry. With the abundance of additional donations, we were able to give a gift to every client, in every program.

DCCADV, St. Augustine Church and the U.S Army — just to name a few, are some of the supporters that donated gifts for the women and families in House of Ruth’s programs.

We are beyond grateful for every donation, big or small. It does not go unnoticed and these gifts are deeply appreciated and cherished. As our organization continues to move forward to reach our mission to help women, children, and families dealing with homelessness, abuse, and trauma in our community, we hope to still have you all by our side as we cannot do this great work without you.

To a better year, together!

Second Call for Gifts for Families Program

As we head into the holiday season, House of Ruth’s Gifts for Families program is well underway! If you’re interested in participating, it’s not too late. The women and children at House of Ruth have been through unspeakable traumas — as we help them heal, we also try to ensure each woman and child has a special holiday season.

Please help us reach our goal to ensure that every woman and child at House of Ruth receives a special holiday present. The gifts on our Target registry are allocated by age, and range around $100 per person (1-2 gifts per family member).

If you can click on our registry list and help us, you will help make holiday wishes come true for a family at House of Ruth. Our hope and goal this year is to have every single one of the 652 gifts on our holiday registry purchased, so that every client receives a special holiday present.

If you are interested in learning more about the Gifts for Families holiday program, email us at bweaver@houseofruth.org. If you are ready to purchase a gift(s), click here for the registry link! Please purchase by December 15th, 2021.

Sell Your Car…Benefit House of Ruth!

Dana Christmon, an Atlanta resident with deep ties to both the D.C. area and House of Ruth, recently decided to sell her first-ever car — a very well-taken care of 2003 Honda Accord. “This was my first car when I was 16; and I knew when I decided to sell it that I wanted to: 1, not haggle with aggressive sales people and 2, have it benefit the House of Ruth.”

Dana’s mother, Frances Christmon, is currently serving on the House of Ruth Board of Directors, and her father, Darryl Christmon, served on the board for nine years. Helping women and children survivors of homelessness and domestic violence is in her blood!

The profit from cars donated on behalf of House of Ruth comes straight to us, and we send an acknowledgement letter thanking the donor. So — even if both your parents haven’t served on the House of Ruth board!! — we invite you to sell your car on behalf of House of Ruth.

If you have questions about the process or anything else regarding donating to House of Ruth, reach out to our Chief Development Officer, Elizabeth Kiker, at ekiker@houseofruth.org or call 202-597-5803.

Gearing Up for Gifts for Families Program

As the holiday season fast approaches, we are preparing for the start of our annual Gifts for Families holiday program! The gifts on our Target registry are allocated by age, and range around $100 per person (1-2 gifts per family member).

In previous years, we’ve had everything from individual donors purchasing holiday gifts for a single family, to a church who purchased gifts for all the women at our Madison shelter, to a company organizing a holiday gift drive to purchase gifts for all the families at an entire program!

Our hope and goal this year is to have every single one of the 652 gifts on our holiday registry purchased, so that every client receives a special holiday present.

If you are interested in learning more about the Gifts for Families holiday program, please contact us at 202-891-7856 or email bweaver@houseofruth.org.  If you would like to participate and are ready to purchase a gift(s), click here for the registry link.