January 2022

We begin this year with grateful hearts. Thank you for all your support as we navigated through another challenging but successful year. With your generosity and support, Women Giving Back will be able to continue serving women and children in crisis. Your generosity and support are critical in making a difference in our community! We believe all women and children should have access to the resources they need to succeed.

A Letter from our Executive Director

Dear Friends of WGB,

It has been a privilege to work at Women Giving Back for 5 years alongside some incredibility dedicated and compassionate colleagues, volunteers, and board members. Our WGB team has grown significantly over the years but so have the needs of the communities we live in, and we have been extraordinarily active meeting those needs.

In 2021, in addition to our normal operations we were able to open our boutique and diaper pantry doors to provide clothing and toiletries to dozens of displaced families effected by large community fires, Afghan evacuees arriving with little to no belongings and families directly impacted at the start of the pandemic who are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Meeting the increased and unique needs of our community has reinforced the value of the work we’re doing, our partnerships and the services we are providing.

Despite our own organizational challenges like the shortage of facility space and volunteers we were able to provide clothing to over 10,000 individuals living throughout the Greater Washington DC area. Our diaper pantry provided over 231,000 diapers to 3,700 infants/toddlers living in low-income households. We also provided over $200,000 worth of clothing and supplies to families in need in Guinea-Bissau, St. Vincent and Jamaica through our Community Distribution Partnership program. This impact was only possible because of your compassion and understanding that the right clothing and access to basic human necessities can change lives.

We don’t know what 2022 will hold for our neighbors. We do know that the need is not going away, and we always want to be ready when they arise. This year we are investing in staff training and development, focusing on building supports to our Referral Partners and deepening and expanding our collaborative partnerships to ensure vulnerable women and their children, who are often rendered invisible, have access to resources they need.

We thank you for the many ways in which you participate in and support our mission as it strengthens our service and ensures that the dignity of everyone we serve. We are proud to have you standing with us.

With a grateful heart,

Nicole

Despite a chilly and snowy month, we were able to serve 138 women and 295 children this month. Winter coats were provided to all clients to keep them warm for the rest of the season!

A huge shoutout to our amazing volunteers who make all of our shopping experiences special for clients. A special shoutout to YMSL volunteers for helping organize our warehouse and Naval Support Activity Washington for sorting and stocking clothing and assisting client's shop for clothing.

We recently became a Diaper Hub with Greater DC Diaper Bank! This partnership will help us serve even more infants a month than before. This month, we served 370 infants with a grand total of 37,000 diapers!

Thank you Headz 1st Barbershop, Karen Sparks from Century 21 and Little Smiles Dental for organizing drives to support WGB's boutique!

OUR NEWEST SPONSOR

Thank you to our 2020 Group Volunteer of the Year Awardee Volkswagen Group, for taking their partnership with WGB to the next level and becoming an annual sponsor! We are so proud to have you in our corner and look forward to seeing our partnership continue to grow!

OUR PARTNERS

January was Slavery & Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and we highlighted our partners on the front lines: Children of the Night, Reset180, and Fair Girls Inc. Thank you for all you do!

PROM BOUTIQUE

Our Free Prom Boutique opens on Monday, February 21st from 10am-1pm. Prom dresses and shoes (all sizes), and accessories (including clutches, jewelry and new makeup) for any high school student looking for a dress. School ID required.