Invitation 2022 - Please send donations by November 15

October 2021

Dear ones,

I hope this finds you strong in spirit & having soaked up enough sun (or the emotional equivalent) this summer to carry you through the coming chill. I can’t imagine anyone is thinking about Valentine’s day yet, but this is the ideal time to give it some thought! 2022 will be the 9th year of this stone soup effort to make Valentine’s day a little brighter for survivors of domestic abuse & trafficking in emergency shelters. Last year you made a truly miraculous thing happen: 600 amazing gift bags for the residents of 14 shelters. I can’t begin to tell you how touched I am by what you made happen (check out the 2021 bags valentinecommunity.com/2021)

One of the many troubling realities of the pandemic was a rise in domestic abuse & trafficking. So much in this time is different, but the need for hope in times despair remains, as does our ability to band together as a community and share our gifts and so, this little project continues! 

Among the many things I am thankful for daily is a safe & loving environment. This blessing is the fruit of a confluence of factors including luck, choices & the active involvement of communities who have loved, rooted for & protected me. It is hard to overstate the impact of the last factors on the first two. 

Lots of people don't like Valentine's day. I imagine being in a shelter would make this day particularly rough. Our goal is to let our Valentines at the shelters know there are people rooting for them & believing they are deserving of love. We do this by assembling little bags of necessities & small luxuries for Valentine's Day.  

No worries AT ALL if this project isn't for you, but if it resonates click PARTICIPATE to get involved including: Donating Stuff, Donating Money, Praying, Making Valentines, & Spreading the Word. 

In years past we have done a crazy push in January to pull all of the gift bags together but it means a lot of all-nighters to sort through everything. In an effort to get out ahead of it this year we are asking for donations by November 15, 2021. So, as you are flipping your closets and unpacking from trips keep an eye out for things you won’t miss, that could make someone who had to leave everything behind feel a little more pulled together. Info on the kinds of things we are looking for can be found here valentinecommunity.com/donate-stuff/ 

Please send stuff here valentinecommunity.com/ship If you live in the Douglaston area you can coordinate with Rose to drop things off at our packing site. If you are in NYC or the Berkshires you can coordinate with me to pick it up. If you include your email address in the box you send I’ll send you a note to let you know I got it. You can still send stuff after that but I am going to base the budget and number of bags we provide on what is sent in during the fall. The group’s vision is far greater than mine - We welcome your ideas and connections to better serve our valentines. Each year I am humbled by the the outpouring of generosity that makes this project possible. If you want to do something specific and November 15 doesn’t give you enough time please reach out to me to discuss.

Thank you most sincerely.

Peace,
Emily Valentine Sottile
emilysottile@gmail.com