VALENTINE COMMUNITY HISTORY

Starting with 17…exploding to 600+!

2013: 17 bags / 2014: 30 bags / 2015: 60 bags / 2016 - 2018: 300ish bags each year / 2019: 286 bags / 2020: 406 bags / 2021: 594 bags / 2022: 604 bags / 2023: 548 bags / 2024: 548 bags!

2013 This stone soup project came into being when a co-worker of a friend asked for help making gift bags for survivors of domestic abuse at a Brooklyn Safe Horizon shelter. We asked our community if they’d like to join us in celebrating Valentine’s Day this way. To our delight people started sending in jewelry, toiletries, gift cards, hand packed little treats. That year we made up 17 gift bags for one shelter.

2014 We took over the initiative & gave gift bags to all adults at the Brooklyn Safe Horizon shelter. 30 gift bags.

2015 So much stuff came in that we were able to expand to the Staten Island shelter. 60 gift bags!

2016 - 2018 Generous donations made it possible to expand to all eight of Safe Horizon’s NYC shelters. 300 gift bags! In 2018 a satellite group started in St. Louis!

2019 - 2024 See each year’s page for detailed info on what we did to bring joy to 406 - 604 valentines each year!