First Person
Why There’s Hand Soap in the Holiday Shop
Why?
It smells wonderful.
It’s a perfect gift to give. Hand soap and lotion, in a little box.
Mostly, I’m hoping you’ll spend a minute in the world of Thistle Farms, a nonprofit in Nashville that helps women find new lives after addiction, abuse, and prostitution.
The founder of Thistle Farms, Becca Stevens, is many things: an Episcopal priest, wife and mother of three, writer, visionary, and one of the fiercest advocates for women you’ll ever meet.
What Becca and her team are accomplishing at Thistle Farms is legendary. The video up top gives you a glimpse of all that goes on there.
It is compelling to hear Becca talk about the Thistle Farms’s residential program for women who are coming off the streets to overcome addiction, abuse, and a life of prostitution. It starts when a woman arrives at a Thistle Farms residence, often with no possessions, and they live there, rent free. There is no schedule, no agenda. Their job is simply to be. What happens next is a two-year program. From the website:
We house up to 28 residents at a time in a therapeutic setting that offers healing and transformation through housing, healthcare, counseling, employment, and community building.
Housing and clinical services are free of charge and provided without Federal assistance.
We also offer a program with Tennessee Prison for Women, that allows up to six women to begin their healing journey within prison walls. Participants receive education and group therapy that eases the transition into the residential program.
Their waiting list is consistently capped at 100. After five years, 75% of their graduates are still sober.
Finally, I hope you’ll become a regular customer of Thistle Farms. Their bath and body products are made by the women there, and the business provides job training and employment for them. See the complete line of bath and body products here.
Love heals, they tell us. You can really feel that at Thistle Farms.
Joyful start to the day! Off to shop for soft hands.
I discovered Thistle Farms products some years ago (it may have been here or through Jen Hatmaker or somewhere else – I don’t quite remember) and bought the products because of their mission. The lovely surprise was that the products themselves are wonderful. They would be an excellent choice for gift giving even if they were not doing such extraordinary good. Ann, thank you for letting more people know about this wonderful organization.
Count me in as a new customer! Don’t miss their essential oils and bath salts
Such inspiration! Thank you for letting us all know about this amazing organization! Can’t wait to try their products!!!!
Thank you for sharing this post. What a wonderful mission and accomplishment. I am in as a customer!
Thank you so much for promoting them and for having a strong commitment to women and social justice. I love being part of the MDK and knitting community. So happy to learn about Thistle Farms.
I have participated in several of their knitting zoom times. Beautiful women making beautiful things. It’s a good sharing.
Pretty darn wonderful. Thanks MDK for bringing Thistle Farms to my attention. Love works. Dignity works. The soap/lotion is a prefect gift for those who really don’t want more ‘stuff’ in their homes.
I love that the Holiday Shop is promoting a brand like this! But I guess I’m not really surprised. It is great to be part of this community…
Beautiful!
What an inspirational snippet! Thank you. Is anyone one teaching interested Thistledown Ladies how to knit? It’s my therapy for sure. If the larger group is anything like me, there’s stuff in my drawers to donate to get someone started. Leslie ‘
So inspiring, and will shorten my holiday gift list this year win-win!
I have purchased and used Thistle Farms products since they first began so many years ago. This morning it felt like a full circle moment to find them at MDK – who I also began to follow waaaaaaaay back when. I can’t say enough about all of the good that Thistle Farms brings forth. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful organization with us. I love supporting women uplifting women and will also become a new customer.
As always, thank you for broadening my world to include a company that makes such a big difference. Off to order…
What an incredible mission, and incredible person. I will now be a lifelong purchaser of Thistle Farm products.
I learned about Thistle Farms. via the band The Wood Brothers. February 2020 (Before Days), I made my first trip to Nashville to see the band play a show at The Ryman. It was a quick weekend trip, but top of the list was to visit Thistle Farms. We had a wonderful meal, and I got to do some shopping too. Last year I ordered some of their candles as gifts. Everyone loved them. Win, win situation. You get great products when you order, and you get to support women in their recovery journey #loveheals
It is now twenty years since the police came to my home and arrested my husband on two counts of domestic violence. Neither of us fit anyone’s stereotype of an abuser or (what to call myself? I absolutely hate the word ‘victim’ – so disempowering) let’s just say, a woman on the receiving end of abuse. We were both white, well-educated professionals in a lovely home in a quiet residential neighborhood. With lots of support, I was able to rebuild my life. What I learned enabled me to help several other women. Should I ever find myself in Nashville, I’ll stop by to say hello. Meanwhile, I’d like to order a few products. Thank you for what you are doing.
Thank you for sharing your story, there are so many more out there. Support makes such a difference.