Join me for a supreme Christmas season in the wild California desert. Like a siphon’s draw, the Christmas spirit is flowing into our beautiful desert valley. Celebrating Christmas, just makes me want to spread the message of selflessly helping others, and alleviating suffering in our communities and worldwide.
There are three worthy, reputable, and incredibly important charities that I urge you to donate to this Christmas and consider making an ongoing contribution part of your charitable endeavors.
Shelter From The Storm, Palm Desert, CA
https://www.shelterfromthestorm.com/
First please support Shelter from the Storm. Shelter From The Storm is the Coachella Valley’s only comprehensive domestic victim assistance service and shelter provider. The agony of abuse is all too pervasive in our society, and worst of all abusers isolate their victims from their family and friends, if they even have any. Shelter From The Storm’s first priority is the safety of those who seek assistance.
When an abused woman and her children leave their abuser, they are at the most vulnerable to violence, and they need the strongest protections during this critical, perhaps even life or death period. If you have ever suffered from domestic or relationship abuse, then you know the agony, the torment, and the mental damage it causes.
Shelter from the Storm helps these women and their children in many different ways including a 24-hour crisis hotline for victims, domestic violence outreach, and providing valuable consultation services to clinical, medical, legal, law enforcement professionals, and local communities about domestic violence. They operate a community counseling center, and provide basic hygiene, personal care items, and nonperishable food items to clients in the shelter service program and those enrolled in services at the community counseling center.
Martha’s Village & Kitchen, Indio, CA
Secondly, I ask that you support, Martha’s Village and Kitchen. Martha’s Village & Kitchen is one of the largest providers of homeless services in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County. When I ran a gift drive for my gated community in 2020, I had the privilege of delivering the presents, checks, and Christmas spirit of our bloated and pampered group in Indian Wells.
The shelter was full, and the parking lot was full of families, many with small children, with no where to spend the frigid desert night. The look of anguish, bewilderment, and hopelessness on those parent’s faces who had not even a bed to offer their children shattered me. They had turned to their refuge of last resort, and still were left on the streets as the skies rapidly darkened. Please help them continue their incredible work, and support their worthy, and reputable endeavors here in the Coachella Valley and the Inland Empire.
Martha’s Village & Kitchen is one of the largest providers of homeless and impoverished services in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County with over 8,000 people in need passing through its doors yearly. The organization began in 1990 when the founders served meals to their homeless neighbors, fast forward to 2021 Martha’s now has its main campus located in Indio, CA, and three satellite offices throughout the Coachella Valley. Today, from its campus and satellite offices Martha’s Village offers unique life-changing programs based on the nationally-recognized “continuum of care model” breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
ALS Association:
Lastly, I urge you to please consider supporting the ALS Association. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. If you have a friend or loved one who is suffering from ALS, or who has passed away, the you know first-hand the cruel, devastating nature of this disease. If you have ever been seriously ill, you know that it’s seriously expensive. The medications for ALS, in addition to the mobility assistance devices, specialized care, and the inability to earn a living, are devastating to not only the person suffering, but also their entire family.
The ALS association mission is to discover treatments and a cure for ALS, and to serve, advocate for, and empower people affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest. According to the American Academy of Neurology’s Practice Parameter Update, studies have shown that participation in a multidisciplinary ALS clinic may prolong survival and improve quality of life.
Thank you so much for spending time with me on my channel: Desert Mountain Apothecary
With lots of love & all the best,
William Z. Brennan