Area's lack of support for program is embarrassing

I just called and asked executive director, Deborah Baptist, how the funds were coming in for the Bonner County Homeless Task Force. She said they had three checks come in.

It saddens me to find out, that since the front-page article on Aug. 28, 2005, "Domestic violence program grapples with funding crisis", that only three people in all of Bonner County responded with cash donations to help keep the shelter open.

I guess we want to put our heads in the sand and think life and death situations only happens far away with tsunamis or hurricanes. For an abused woman, (and maybe her children, too,) with no one else to turn to, the shelter could mean life or death in some cases.

We have a great time funding things for our own comfort and recreation, such as a skate park, a garden or an air conditioner for a theater. The wonderful people who run and work at the shelter are so busy already they don't have anything left in them to put on a glamorous fund-raiser.

They have their own families who are dependant on them as well as spending many nights and weekends helping clients move, teaching life skills classes, handling interventions or picking up material donations.

Fortunately, one local anonymous foundation gave enough to keep the shelter open for another year.

Bless you, anonymous foundation, you probably saved someone's life when few else seemed to care!

LAURA EMMER

Clark Fork