and challenges in the journey to sanctuary - together - we overcame.
Becca Stevens, Founder & President and Hal Cato, CEO
Strength in unity
Like every organization, the pandemic affected in profound ways. But facing magnified, global levels of uncertainty made us dig deeper to be a place of safety, hope, and healing.
The ties of love that bind us together are stronger than the fraying that threatens to pull us apart. By weaving our stories together, we experience how love heals and hope for our common future.
Thank you for writing this story with us and for believing in the healing power of love.
Strength in Shared Stewardship
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and customers, and a fully-forgiven PPP loan, we have maintained 100% employment and simultaneously built a foundation for growth.
Residential Program
Our free, two-year program provides housing, healing, and employment for women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction.
In May, we celebrated 9 women who graduated our 2 year program.
Strength in Community
We are excited to announce that our new home will open Spring 2022 and house 8 women.
In addition, our new Safe House created 4 beds for short-term, emergency housing. In the first 12 months of operation, 39 women were housed and matched to resources to support their long term healing journey.
Thistle On the Inside, our program serving women still incarcerated received a grant that will allow us to double the program in the coming months.
6,900
Nights of safe, supportive housing.
1,300
Medical & mental health appointments.
108,384
Hours of employment for women survivors.
Terrié
Candidate for 2022 Graduation
Terrié completed the residential program this December, and has been excitedly preparing to transition into an apartment and regain custody of her children.
Under pretense of a news interview about Thistle Farms, Terrié was expecting to share about working with sister organizations. Terrié was told the crew wanted to change the filming location, which brought her to her new apartment.
She was shocked when beloved Thistle Farmer Reba McEntire opened the door. The surprises kept coming, when Reba told Terrié that the apartment's beautiful furnishings were a gift and that her rent was covered for two years because of a partnership with Lifetime, Regions, Thistle Farms, and Urban Housing Solution.
We are so happy for our sweet sister and can't wait to hear how Leslie and London love the surprise!
Jessy
4 Years Clean
This year has been a landslide of accomplishments for our girl, Jessy.
Over the last few months, she has:
- Bought a car
- Built her credit
- Purchased her first house
- Celebrated 4 years sober
- Regained custody of her two sons
"Finally, I feel like I am the woman I was always supposed to be. I’m the mother my children need and deserve. Home is meals at the table together, homework on a school night, and story time. The key to my house means freedom, and a life full of ball games.”
Marcia
6 Years Clean
A beloved member of our Logistics team, Marcia has worked steadily on her healing and recovery.
While getting her license, she discovered an active warrant in another county -- and $20,000 in fines. She was devastated, but as Marcia says, “her Thistle Farms family went to work".
The judge learned of and was moved by the story of Marcia's healing.
- The warrant is withdrawn.
- The sentence expired.
- The fines dropped.
Love is the strongest force for change in the world.
Jennifer
2012 Graduate
25 years ago, Jennifer was trapped in dangerous cycles of addiction and abuse on the streets of Nashville. Devastated by her inability to provide for her newborn son, she chose to surrender him to be adopted.
Today she is a a graduate of Thistle Farms and our Volunteer Coordinator. Jennifer proudly declares that she is healed, she is alive.
And she has recently reunited with her son.
Thanks to the healing work she has done, Jennifer celebrated Mother's Day with her son for the first time this year.
Rachel
2017 Graduate
When I became a felon, I felt stamped for disapproval, officially unfit in society, and unable to make my own choices. All of my decisions were questioned and most people did not hear me. Thistle Farms helped me take 20 years worth of bad decisions and make something out of it.
Last year’s step was to restore my voting rights. I didn’t know if it was possible. I hadn’t voted in ten years. The process is lengthy: paperwork, phone calls, appointments, and documentation. But on the other side, my voting rights were restored!
Beyond the thrill of physically voting, the restoration of my voting rights had a profound spiritual effect. It made me feel stronger, and that is invaluable.
I want my voice to be heard. I want to help make decisions in society. I want to stand tall, happy, and confident as a free woman. In order for me to do that, I have to continue to behave in a way that creates confidence, and I have to continue to speak up for myself. That is the ultimate confidence booster.
National Network
An aligned action network of survivor sanctuaries across the country.
National Network
Strength In Numbers
With momentum only love can propel, our network of sister organizations grew by more than 150 beds since last year.
Relentless love expands this community. It transcends house walls, state lines, and country borders.
TOGETHER, we light the way home for the next woman survivor.
569
Beds across the country for women survivors.
92
Sister organizations in our network, with 57 open residential programs.
35
Residential organizations still in development.
Global Shared Trade
Our model for international trade addresses exploitation and poverty through a network social enterprises.
relief grant
Strength in sharing
The impact to the global supply chain has resulted in an 47% average revenue loss for our global partners since the beginning of the pandemic.
In response, Thistle Farms Global distributed 9 small grants to support artisan and community well-being, product financing, village sanitation, and eco-sustainable projects.
39
Artisan partners in 21 countries.
1,400
Survivor artisans employed by partner organizations.
58%
Average revenue returned to our partners.
In Gratitude
During a year when so many felt stuck at home, you made it possible for the women of Thistle Farms to feel safe at home.
On behalf of our entire community, thank you for helping us show the world that good news abounds, gratitude cannot be quarantined, and that love can easily traverse six feet.