YCC Supports Survivors
Yamhill County’s local coordinated care organization, Yamhill Community Care, reached out in October 2022 asking how they could support Henderson House and the survivors we serve. That is a call that is always welcome.
As a part of YCC’s program support, Henderson House is offering monthly healthy cooking classes for our support group members and shelter clients. The feedback we have received from participants has been phenomenal.
Volunteer Coordinator Trudy Siderius leads our Domestic Violence Survivors Support Group on Thursday night’s at our Advocacy Center. She launched the healthy cooking classes with a special surprise for clients. Henderson House leveraged some private foundation funding along with program funds from YCC to purchase kits with basic kitchen supplies, to facilitate our clients’ ability to replicate the healthy recipes they were learning to prepare, at home.
Our clients were welcomed to the inaugural healthy cooking class with their own personal kit including: pots, pans, utensils, knives, cutting boards, oven mitts, mixing bowls and baking dishes, along with all of the ingredients to repeat the recipe at home.
One participant publicly posted their gratitude via an Instagram story the next day. The video caption read,
“Big thank you to @yamhillcommunitycare for the Grant for @henderson_housedvsa ♥ This facilitated a cooking class for the domestic violence support class. After our fearless and vibrant Advocate Ms. Trudy lead us through the meal preparations we were able to enjoy the yummy dinner. And THEN!!! When we left we were handed 3 big tote bags. One full of all of the ingredients for the meal we just made. And the other two were sets of brand new kitchen kits! For some of these women these are the nicest things they have ever owned. For some of these women they have been cooking on questionable pans! Thanks again and again ♥”
This program has energized our clients and our staff. Trudy has already engaged volunteers in planting a salsa garden in the Advocacy Center raised beds, in preparation for a lesson in canning salsa during the summer – yum!
We are so grateful for Yamhill Community Care for expanding your support of our community to include Henderson House this year. Our staff and our clients have already benefitted immeasurably from this investment.
