MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — The Elmore County Domestic Violence Council is hosting its Harvest for Hope fundraiser this Saturday at the Gala Event Center in Mountain Home.
Community members and organizations donated the auction items for the event, including gift baskets, hotel stays and quilts. The money raised goes back into the council's services.
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For nearly three decades, the council has helped survivors of domestic violence find safety and support. What started as a resource center in 1998 grew to include a safe house in 2019, giving survivors a place to go when home is no longer safe.
"First time in Mountain Home having a shelter, especially a women's shelter, where they can call it a safe house,” said council director, Xochil Perez.
Perez said government funding is inconsistent and doesn't cover everything the council needs to keep help available, making community support key.
"Although we do get some state funding, it's not enough for what the community does for us,” Perez said. "It does take a village to keep our doors open.”
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In a rural community, Perez said having somewhere to turn is critical.
"Already with just being a rural area, a lot of the things go unseen and so not having someone here that can provide that consistency could become very dangerous,” Perez said.
The money raised at the fundraiser goes back into the council's services, helping neighbors like Natacha Hernandes, a former client. She moved to Mountain Home last year and turned to the shelter for help during a difficult time in her marriage.
"Elmore County Domestic Violence Council provided me with housing support and shelter,” Natacha Hernandes said.
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Along with a safe place to stay, the council provides clothing, toiletries and other everyday essentials. That support continued even after Hernandes left the shelter.
"They really supported me, still now,” Hernandes said.
Today, she has a full-time job, a place of her own and has started learning English.
The Harvest for Hope fundraiser starts Saturday Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. at the Gala Event Center in Mountain Home. Tickets can be found here.
If you need help in Elmore County, call the crisis hotline at 208-587-3300 or visit the Elmore County Domestic Violence Council’s website for resources and support.
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