Supporting Communities - Soroptimist International of the Twin Cities

HomeSupporting Communities

Partnering with Sarah's Oasis for Women

Every year Soroptimist International of the Twin Cities (SITC) supports Sarah's Oasis, a home for women seeking safety, dignity, and healing. Sarah's is a long-term residence (1-3 years) for women who have experienced human trafficking, violence, abuse, torture, war, discrimination, and trauma.

In addition to a safe place to live, the women get a chance to empower themselves and start new lives in the country by being connected to social services, education opportunities, and job training. #SoroptimistUpliftHer

We provide welcome bags for new residents, including things like pots, pans, other cooking equipment, personal hygiene products, and unique tools like YakTrak (shoe clip-ons for walking on icy streets) that these women need to start their new lives in Minnesota.

We send each resident a birthday card and gift card, since many women have no family or contacts in the community. We want to ensure that no one is forgotten on their birthday.

SITC club members cook and share a meal with 2 dozen residents, sharing conversation and learning from one another.

Supporting Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence
Amplifying our collective impact to support women and girls.

Nearly 1 in 3 women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) during their lifetime according to the World Health Organization. In 99% of IPV cases, abusers control or sabotage their partner's financial resources. Soroptimist is committed to helping women and girls get the skills, resources, and support they need to escape unsafe relationships sooner.

In 2025, Twin Cities Soroptimist collected needed supplies for local women and families seeking support after experiencing intimate partner violence. We collaborated with 360 Communities to understand what was most needed, then donated over 130 diapers, 12 packs of pull ups, 10 packs of wipes, 10 bottles of shampoo/conditioner, combs, soap, sleeping caps, and towels, along with $450 of local gas station gift cards. Critically, we got these goods into the hands of women at a critical time, when basic staples like toiletries and gas are increasingly out of reach for struggling families.

Our work supporting communities amplifies Soroptimist's impact at the national level, as part of the Soroptimist UpliftHER campaign. Clubs across the Americas worked within their communities in October-December 2025 to highlighted the scale, impact, and address barriers that IPV poses to the success of women and girls around the world.

Fighting Period Poverty
Amplifying our collective impact to support women and girls.

In the spring of 2025, Soroptimist of the Twin Cities collected and donated 50 packages/products for menstrual hygeine to local partner organization Neighborhood House in St. Paul, Minnesota. The supplies will support low income or unhoused women and girls keep themselves healthy and clean during their period, so they don't have to worry about missing out on work, time at school, or other social stigma that can come along with menstruation. This was part of Soroptimists of the Americas multi-national UpliftHER, which highlighted the negative impact and disproportionate burden that "period poverty" places on women and girls around the world.

Supporting Women and Families in our Community During the Holidays
Supporting local partners to keep people warm in the winter

In 2024 and 2023, we partnered with the Lewis House, which provides emergency housing and assistance to individuals and families escaping domestic or sexual violence. After consulting with the Lewis House about what they needed, we donated delivered 8 boxes of diapers, 6 grocery bags of wipes, requested shampoos and conditioners for specific hair types, hygiene products, and $170 in gas station gift cards to residents. Staff and residents were deeply appreciative that we took the time to ask what donations would be most needed and appreciated.

In 2022, we collected winter items for Sarah's Oasis, which provides housing and support for migrant women seeking asylum in the United States after experiencing trauma, trafficking, or abuse. SITC donated 7 bags of supplies including: jackets, sweaters, heavy socks, hats, scarves, leggings, and bath towels, all items requested by the center.

In 2018, we collected donations for the Rosemount Family Resource Center, which serves marginalized communities and low income families, who are especially vulnerable in the cold of winter. We collected and donated a total of: 2 winter jackets, 44 winter hats, 38 pairs of mittens, 2 winter scarves, 10 t-shirts, a dozen bottles of shampoo and conditioner, 20 tubes of toothpaste, 5 bottles of baby wash and wipes, 15 bars of soap, 35 tooth brushes, and feminine hygiene products.

In 2017, we collected 5 dozen pairs of new mittens and hats to donate to local resource shelters. Similar collections of hats, mittens, scarves, gloves, and winter coats have taken place every year in December for over a decade.

2024 Holiday Drive

Days for Girls Partnership (2018 - 2020)

Twin Cities Soroptimist partner throughout the year with the New Hope, MN chapter of Days for Girls, an international organization that provides feminine hygiene kits for women and girls throughout the world. These kits are made with love by thousands of volunteers around the world or by local women filling the need for their own community. For more details check out Daysforgirls.org

Girl Rising Movie and Panel Discussion (2015)

SITC partnered with the Minnesota Air National Guard to host a movie and panel discussion on November 7 in 2015. We had 60+ attendees (women, men, girls and boys) participate in this inspirational event to continue efforts to raise awareness of issues facing women and girls. The movie highlighted the stories of nine girls and the obstacles they faced in order to get an education. Before the movie, Laura Jeffrey the Air National Guard gave tours of the C130-H planes, which are used to transport our troops and their equipment. Following the movie, we had a panel discussion with CM Sgt Kristin Von Eschen/UniteWomen.org, Tiffini Flynn Forslund and Allison Stapley from the Laura Jeffrey Academy, about the barriers women and girls face.

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