SALT LAKE CITY — For women living in residential shelters, the upcoming holiday can be a difficult one.
“These are newly single moms fleeing abusive relationships,” said Amberlie Phillips, chief development officer of the YWCA domestic violence shelter. “Mother’s Day is definitely a hard day for them.”
But Smith’s Food and Drug is doing what it can to help.
Nearly 40 YWCA after-school program enrollees participated in an all-expenses-paid Mother’s Day shopping spree Monday, courtesy of Women’s Edge, a new resource group for women employed at Smith’s.
“As residents of permanent supportive housing, these kids don’t have a lot of access to resources,” Phillips said, highlighting the poverty that impacts many YWCA residents.
“The opportunity to make a wish list for mom and then to go to a store and pick out anything — within reason — that they like for her is a real treat.”
Each child or sibling pair was matched with a Women’s Edge hostess, who guided the children through their shopping while ensuring adherence to the event’s $50 per mother budget.
Children chose their gifts with care, selecting bags, books and dresses in their mothers’ favorite colors. Smith’s resident jewelry emporium, Fred Meyer Jewelers, marked several items down to “kid-friendly” prices as a way of contributing to the event.
“It’s cool to see how selfless kids can be,” said Clark Henrikson, a sales associate at Fred Meyer. “They’re so excited to be able to be so generous.”
In addition to the gifts they purchased, each child was sent home with a stuffed kangaroo and a long-stem rose wrapped in tissue paper.
Although only moms will receive physical gifts, Smith’s public affairs vice president Marsha Gilford said the benefits will extend to everyone involved, including employee volunteers.
“We hope this makes the moms feel good and the kids feel fabulous,” Gilford said.
Email: aoligschlaeger@deseretnews.com, Twitter: allisonoctober