Healing in Hand: How Supporting Thistle Farms Supports Crisis Intervention, Opportunity
Thistle Farms looks to crisis intervention methods as just one point along a growing continuum of care that aims to plants seeds of hope so we can all bear witness to a woman in full bloom. It all starts with that first seed, which can come in the form of meeting a woman during street outreach or welcoming her into the Safe House.
There's a purchase that finds it's way onto shopping lists or into carts that is so common, we rarely stop to think about it: hand sanitizer. Whether to stash away in your car, keep in your bag, or to have on hand at home, its presence is rarely thought about much beyond price point and brand name.
But something as simple as purchasing hand sanitizer can be part of a much bigger story. One that all too often begins with trauma and exploitation, driving women to the streets where the hardest chapters of her life can take place. Because it's also a story where our heroine can find safety and healing through the power of community, and being a part of making something that can protect others while transforming her own future.
In FY25, we hosted 26 women in our four-bed Safe House for up to 30 days each, where they were able to receive case management and support for immediate logistical needs such as getting a replacement photo ID. The Safe House also provides referrals to receive the care that will best serve each woman's needs, whether that is entering a substance abuse treatment program, receiving mental health care, or admission into our residential program here in Nashville or that of one of the many National Network partners operating in 31 states across the country.
By the end of 2025, the Safe House will expand from 4 beds to 8 beds to meet the ever-growing demand for respite and support for women leaving the streets.
But even before a woman finds her way to the Safe House, Thistle Farms has worked to plant seeds along the streets and alleys where prostitution most often takes root. In FY25, we distributed 50 hygiene bags through our Street Outreach program. The bags typically include deodorant, menstrual products, and other personal care items, information about the Thistle Farms program, and of course - hand sanitizer.
And the story continues, because that same bottle of hand sanitizer or candle that lights the way home for her can become meaningful employment and economic opportunity.
"I was on the streets for 25 years and lived in a tent for a lot of that time. There was a barber shop near where my tent was set up, and the owner let me come in to wash myself up every day. The kindness that shop owner showed me was the only way I could clean myself to stay healthy, and to look a little better in case I had a chance to see my family.
Now, I'm 8 years clean and I graduated from the program, I've got a home I get to take care of, and a job I love. So when I'm mixing the ingredients for the hand sanitizer and pouring it, I think about where I was and where I am now. What being able to wash up a little meant to me when I was living out of a tent. And I know this product, like all the products we make, will save somebody's life. It will help bring another woman through these doors and give her the chances I got to have."
Josette, Body & Home Team Member and 2019 Thistle Farms Graduate
Whether you're gifting hand sanitizer to the teachers in your life, keeping one on hand for the kids, in your work drawer, or your bag for on-the-go needs, you can be a part of making that story happen. So the next time you reach for a hand sanitizer, make it one that reaches back.
Purchase a Hand Sanitizer That Gives Back
