Grantee Spotlight
The Grateful Garment Project
Bringing Dignity Back to Survivors
In 2011, founder and CEO Lisa J. Blanchard met a woman at a retreat who shared that during the process of getting a forensic exam at the hospital, sexual violence survivors have to surrender their clothes as evidence, and are only supplied with thin hospital gowns to leave in.
After that conversation, Lisa was determined to find a way to restore confidence and dignity to survivors, setting up clothing closets stocked with items for people of all sizes, genders, and ages to wear after their exam. What started as an undergraduate school capstone project quickly grew into the nonprofit it is today, establishing clothing closets in hospitals in over 50 counties across the state.
"Grateful Garment was a solution and a source of resources when there was none. And so I know in my heart I have changed the world."
Now, Grateful Garment is expanding its reach, helping all victims of sexual violence, including commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) and survivors of human sexual trafficking (HST), working with survivors after the initial hospital visit to support them in all stages of their journey.
The organization currently offers seven different programs, including: Beyond the Closet, which provides additional resources like toiletries and linens to those who don’t have a safe place to return to, and Dress for Dignity, which supplies gift cards for survivors to buy clothes to wear when they attend court hearings.
One notable program, Pack it Forward, provides emergency portable packs to law enforcement/sexual violence service providers of human sexual trafficking survivors and commercially sexually exploited minors that can be supplied as a resource once they are rescued.
This year, with California hosting major sporting events like the Super Bowl and the World Cup, rates of sexual violence have increased heavily. Grateful Garment supplied over 3,100 brand new clothing/items with a wholesale/low retail value of $15,000 in Santa Clara County and within a 50 miles radius during the Super Bowl, an event that Lisa and her team had been preparing for since last year. Her team continues to support and provide new resources for all the communities that have and will be affected by these major sporting events.
Grateful Garment is a fully donor-funded organization; the current economic challenges make it challenging to keep up with the demanding need for clothing closets. Still, Lisa hopes to expand the organization's reach across the country in the future, so that survivors everywhere can receive the same care and comfort she has worked to make a reality locally.
Lisa also hopes to expand their latest program, Journey to Healing, a partnership with Kaiser Permanente hospitals in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties that helps facilitate reliable transportation for survivors to access medical appointments or therapy, and hotel rooms to stay in, practical supports that empower their journey to healing.
There are a lot of unknowns in leading Grateful Garment during this time, but Lisa has faith that her organization is making a lasting impact on the people it encounters. She encourages everyone that she meets not to shy away from this topic. Your voice can be very powerful and can lead to someone getting the important resources and support they need.
“I tell everybody every day, the greatest thing any of us individually can do to change the face of sexual violence is to talk about it, because nobody wants to talk about it. It's uncomfortable, right? But when we talk about it, we give people permission to come forward. And so talking about it is the greatest thing any of us can do.”
Every bit of support helps Grateful Garment ensure that survivors of sexual violence are granted dignity and comfort during a difficult time in their lives. To help, visit their website to learn more ways you can support this team and survivors, such as donating your time as a volunteer or Board member, or donating to help supply their clothing closets.
