Announcements

The Retreat reaches out to spread holiday cheer

JULIE LANE PHOTO | Barbara Olton of Hay Beach, former president of the The Retreat Board of Directors, said the holidays can be a difficult time for victims of domestic aubse.

When you’re sitting down with family and friends for the upcoming holiday season, The Retreat hopes you will have shared your good fortune with some of your neighbors whose lives have been disrupted by domestic violence.

Toward that end, The Retreat has launched its annual Holiday Giving Programs — the Thanksgiving Gift Card Drive and the Adopt-A-Family Program providing holiday presents or gift cards to families in need. For many women who have given up everything to leave an abusive situation, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time, said Barbara Olton of Hay Beach, former president of the The Retreat Board of Directors.

The organization serves victims of domestic abuse throughout the East End.  There were 40 Shelter Islanders who suffered abuse in 2012, according to statistics provided by Police Chief Jim Read.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, the Retreat is asking for contributions of gift cards to local food stores. That would enable clients to shop on their own and “provide a fruitful Thanksgiving experience for their families,” said the organization’s human resources coordinator, Debbie Mullarkey.

In December, the Adopt-A-Family program provides gifts and gift cards for families in need. “During the holiday season, an increasing amount of families seek out The Retreat’s services,” Ms. Mullarkey said. That’s probably because during the holidays, domestic violence increases, spurred by money pressures and increasing amounts of alcohol and drug use.

“The most peaceful time of year, sadly, can be the hardest,” Ms. Mullarkey said. “It’s the difference between being able to celebrate a holiday or not looking forward to it at all,” Ms. Olton said about the gift programs she said help to lighten the load for the “courageous” women who have reached out to The Retreat for help.

If you wish to contribute to the Thanksgiving drive, checks and gift cards can be sent to The Retreat, 13 Goodfriend Drive, East Hampton, New York 11939 and must arrive by November 12. For those interested in contributing to the Adopt-A-Family Program, call the organization’s Holiday Help Line and speak with Christiana or Lisa at 329-4398.