Yolo Crisis Nursery: ‘Krustaceans for Kids’ benefit set

Crab lovers have one last opportunity to enjoy the taste of the season at “Krustaceans for Kids,” the first crab feed benefiting the Yolo Crisis Nursery. The event will take place Saturday, March 23, at 6 p.m. at the Davis Senior Center, 646 A St. Tickets are $40 and may be purchased online at www.nurserycrabfeed.eventbrite.com. Cash and check purchases may be made by contacting Liz Malinoff at 530-219-9690.

The Friends of the Nursery are proud to be assisted by the new Davis chapter of the National Charity League, a group of moms and daughters devoted to local philanthropic endeavors.

In addition to crab, guests will claw their way through pasta, salad, bread and other goodies while supporting a vital resource for children ages 0-5.

As we approach Child Abuse Prevention Month (April), it’s important to remember how lucky we are to have a crisis nursery in our community. With only a handful of similar programs statewide, the Yolo Crisis Nursery allows parents and caregivers facing extreme hardship to voluntarily place their young children in a comforting, home-like setting to be loved and cared for by staff.

In addition, families receive expert support and resources to resolve what are typically temporary crisis circumstances — including medical emergencies, job loss, domestic violence and post-partum depression, to name a few.

Children are at the highest risk of abuse or neglect when their families are in crisis. Rather than allowing life’s troubles to permanently separate children from their loved ones, the nursery does more than prevent abuse. It strengthens families and keeps them together.

Time after time, clients have told us how grateful they are for our program and that had it not been for the availability of this service, parents would have either left a child in an unsafe environment or called CPS.

None of us go through life without challenges, and our community is well-known for supporting others when difficulties become too hard to bear. In fact, thanks to you, we’ve kept the nursery’s doors open for more than a decade.

So please scuttle over to Krustaceans for Kids, have a great time and provide much-needed support for a charity that is 100 percent reliant on private donations.

— Becky Heard is president of Friends of the Yolo Crisis Nursery. Her column is published monthly.