20-05-2025
Help Woman's Club give the Salvation Army domestic violence shelter a makeover
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Salvation Army's safe house for domestic violence survivors hasn't undergone any major renovations since Hurricane Michael.
'Although they may have been updated as far as mildew and mold reduction and all of that, right after the hurricane, we have not been able to go in and really individualize each of the bedrooms and the actual living spaces. And one of the things that we want is so that when individuals and their children come in, that they feel safe and they feel like it's a positive environment,' Domestic Violence Program Director Kimberly Garbett said.
Currently, the walls at the Salvation Army's safe space for domestic violence survivors are bare. Officials are hoping in the future they'll be covered with positive messages, paintings, and decorations that will make survivors feel more at home, and ready to start the healing process.
The Woman's Club of Panama City plans to give more than just the walls a makeover. In fact, they've already started improving the safe house for domestic violence survivors
'We're going in and we're repainting all of the rooms, and we have taken old lighting out and put new lighting in the rooms already. And we're doing new headboards, new bedding, new bedspreads. Everything is going to be new for those rooms, so that when the families come in, they feel like it's not a hotel. It's a warm, inviting place for them to come and feel comfortable,' Community Improvement Project Co-Chair Sherry Melton said.
Melton and other members are using their interior design backgrounds for good. The club's 106 members will tackle this initiative as their community improvement project.
'What we're going to do is a total refurbishing of the six bedrooms that they have at the domestic abuse shelter that the Salvation Army runs. The moment they're very utilitarian spaces, and this is going to give them an opportunity to create a warm, loving environment for these families,' GFWC Woman's Club Vice President Joanne McFee said.
To raise funds for the project they are calling on community members to join them for a night of fun and bunco.
'It's all about raising money to complete this project. You know, when you can make a positive impact on someone's life, it's an amazing blessing and that's what we want to do with this shelter,' Melton added.
Doors open Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m., and tickets are $35 a person.
'It includes dinner, it includes the bunco and the opportunity to give back to your community through raffles and silent auction and their prizes to be won as well, and just friendship,' McFee said.
The event will take place Tuesday night at the Woman's Club at 350 North Cove Blvd.
Through plenty of raffle and silent auction items, organizers are hoping to raise $3,500 for the project.
If you are unable to attend the fundraiser, there's a wish list of items they are hoping to collect for the shelter.
Womans-Club-wishlistDownload
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
