A 15-year-old girl, Elina, is smuggled out of an impoverished, conflict-ridden country in Central America by her uncles. She is seeking asylum, freedom, and employment to support her sick father.
However, as soon as she is stateside, Elina’s uncles trap her in a brutal sex trafficking ring that operates throughout the Northeastern coast.
Read MoreOften, when a guest begins seeking help from Women’s Lunch Place, they withhold critical information about their personal situation. Mistrust of institutions, fear of personal safety, and denial are all barriers to a fully transparent initial engagement.
Read MoreTo WLP––especially the staff, the volunteers she has interacted with, and our donors––Julie has this to say: “You saved my life. My options were shelters… and that’s it. I don’t think I would have had the strength to last three years without your help.”
Read MoreMary’s addiction caused her to exhaust every resource and personal connection she had. After two decades of alcoholism, she is now working with a Women’s Lunch Place advocate to improve her health, career, and living situation.
Thirty-seven percent of guests self-report experiences with drug and alcohol use disorders, and research indicates that the actual percentage is significantly higher. To meet this need, our Direct Care and Advocacy staff are specifically trained to assess and work with women, like Mary, who are struggling with addiction.
Read MoreTo put it simply, Catchafire lives up to its name.
As a daytime shelter and advocacy center for women experiencing homelessness and poverty, Women’s Lunch Place has an extremely dynamic slate of programming and administrative responsibilities and limited resources to accomplish them. In connecting us to experts who offer their services entirely free of charge, Catchafire has been an asset that we continue to benefit from and rely on.
Read MoreIn early 2009, insurance professionals Kathleen Smith, Amy Daley, and Kate MacDonald were connected to Women’s Lunch Place through our Mother’s Day Card campaign.
It was perfect timing––the three friends were in the midst of planning a social event to raise money for a Boston charity, but they had yet to select a beneficiary.
Read MoreThis month, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Natasha, a WLP guest for the past four years. Natasha shared her story and spoke with us about why she advocates for trans women to rely on WLP as a daytime haven and resource center.
Read MoreAfter a one-year hiatus from our city's favorite unofficial holiday, the Boston Marathon returns on Monday, October 11th, 2021.
As we have done in the past, Women's Lunch Place will give bibs out to runners who are excited by our mission and eager for the opportunity to participate in one of the most prestigious races in the world.
Read MoreOn Tuesday, the citizens of the United States took one step further towards a more perfect union. A mixed-race jury convicted the murderer of George Floyd. As a white woman I had been preparing for a different outcome – a more traditional outcome, rooted in our nation’s historic and vicious systemic racism.
Read MoreOn April 6, 2021, guests began dining in the community hall at Women’s Lunch Place for the first time since the pandemic struck last year. This marks an exciting and significant step toward our goal of operating a full-capacity community and traditional services at our shelter and advocacy center.
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