Businesswomen bring Baskets of Hope

CLIFTON PARK — When a woman leaves an abusive household with just the clothes on her back, small things can become luxuries. Like a bottle of shampoo or a new toothbrush.

When her kids come with her and they don’t have any school supplies, things can seem even bleaker.

A group of Southern Saratoga businesswomen understands. That’s why they team up to provide glimmers of hope — make that Baskets of Hope — to area women’s shelters. Over the past few years, the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County’s Women in Business Committee has assembled more than 1,500 baskets to help women escaping from violence and abuse. Each basket contains personal-care items, such as shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, soap and the like.

Members of the Women in Business Committee assembled backpacks of school supplies for children who are victims of domestic violence.

Members of the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County's Women in Business Committee assembled 61 backpacks of school supplies for children who are victims of domestic violence.

If you think 1,500 baskets is a lot, consider this: Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Saratoga County (DVRC) helps more than 1,000 domestic-violence victims a year, and its hotline (584-8188) answers an average of 4-5 calls a day. And that’s just a fraction of the county’s domestic-violence victims.

“We think Saratoga County is fairly crime free, but it’s a crime that is happening invisibly,” DVRC executive director Maggie Fronk said. “One out of every 4 women will be a victim during her lifetime.”

The baskets started in 2003. Expressions of Gratitude, an area gift-basket company, was looking for a way to give back to the community. Someone came up with the idea to make gift baskets as Mothers Day presents for women in local shelters.

“We collected donated items and made them up in baskets,” said Deb Duffy, Expressions of Gratitude’s “chief idea officer”. Each of the first baskets included a doily crocheted by Duffy’s grandmother. “We started with 12 baskets, and the response was tremendous.”

The project’s success caused it to grow, and soon “it just made sense” to hand it off to the Women in Business Committee, Duffy said. Now, in addition to the Baskets of Hope, the committee also assembles backpacks of school supplies for the children in shelters and New Beginnings packages containing items such as towels, can openers, light bulbs and gift cards for women transitioning out of shelters.

The committee relies on donated items — “Personal-care items and backpacks are always in big need,” Fronk said — which can be dropped off at the Chamber’s office in Clifton Park and DVRC’s office in Saratoga Springs. It also asks for local businesses to put out donation bins, which serve a dual purpose — collecting items for baskets and publicizing the 24-hour domestic-violence hotline.

“They are a great way in a gentle way to let people know there is help out there,” Fronk said.

DVRC’s domestic-violence hotline can be reached 24 hours a day at 584-8188.

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