GIVE LOVE AND VOLUNTEER WFWP MARYLAND AT WOMEN’S HOMELESS SHELTER

Bright, eager young eyes look up at you, as a huge smile spreads across the little one’s face and warms you up from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. You have succeeded in bringing joy to a child and there is something beautiful and intrinsically rewarding in that. And what better time to spread this joy than at Christmas time?

This is just what members of the Women's Federation for World Peace Maryland Chapter did when they volunteered their time for Santa’s Toy Shop, the annual toy drive organized by United Communities Against Poverty (UCAP) at their women’s homeless shelter in Capitol Heights.

Our very own Santa’s helpers spent five hours on Thursday, December 13, 2018, receiving incoming toy donations, sorting them by type and displaying them on tables so mothers could come and select Christmas presents for their young children.

Some of these women were staying at the Shepherd’s Cove homeless shelter, while others were off campus users of their services, but all of them were mothers who may not have been able to provide gifts and toys for their children on Christmas day without the generous donations from many organizations, churches, families, and individuals.

Seeing the warm glow of gratitude from the mothers made all our efforts worthwhile, and it is why we keep coming back year after year. WFWP has been a volunteer at Shepherd’s Cove facility for over six years now. On this day, not only did we provide some Christmas cheer for the children, but we also stacked many cans and other perishable items in the food pantry, another valuable service of this shelter.

The key objective of Shepherd’s Cove, which serves 600 to 700 women each year, is to provide a safe haven to eliminate crisis and stabilize their lives, and ultimately to move them into transitional/permanent housing.

The nonprofit UCAP, which manages Shepherd’s Cove, expressed their appreciation to our volunteers in a heartfelt letter with these words: "WFWP contributions aids UCAP in providing impeccable service to our clients. With all the issues of today's faltering economy, it is truly remarkable that you continue to remember those less fortunate. Women’s Federation for World Peace, Ms. Chicquelo and team, UCAP staff stands and salutes you for your outstanding and committed service to the residents of Prince George's county."

WFWP Maryland volunteers as Santas helpers