ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV) — Kim Richards, a mom of two from Encinitas, has turned her care package business into a lifeline, delivering gifts to mothers escaping domestic violence.
“Connecting with the CRC just made so much sense to me,” Richards says. “They've been a staple in this community.”
She’s partnered with Encinitas’ Community Resource Center, or CRC, where the domestic violence team fields over 300 calls a month. “When they make the first call, um, they have built the courage to seek for help,” Leticia Ortiz, Domestic Violence Director at the CRC says.
In San Diego County alone, more than 17,000 calls like these come in every year. The CRC steps in with counseling and support.
“We work with families that are being affected by lots of trauma, so we want to make sure that we provide the wrap-around services, and counseling is very important,” Ortiz says.
And Kim’s care packages, donated to programs like CRC’s, are a reminder that someone cares. “It’s like you thought of me you know someone cares about me and so it's very um meaningful,” Ortiz says.
“I think is one of the most important things when we're kind of told to be the marker of a good mom is to be selfless, you know?” Richards says. “But this is a way to put moms back at the center of care.”
Richards calls the gifts intentional, made to lift up moms when they need it most.
“The first note [in the care package] says “you're doing a great job” and sometimes…that's all we need to hear,” Richards says. Each box is filled with products made by women, candles, soaps, muscle creams…little things that may bring comfort in hard times.
“It just felt like a perfect way to give them a sense of hope and a feeling of really feeling seen and really cared for, in a really tender time in their life,” Richards says.
On her website, you can donate a box to a mom in need, or gift one to your own, and not just on Mother's Day!
