According to the Department of Public Safety, the state of Texas has seen a dramatic increase in domestic violence cases in recent years.
SafeHaven of Tarrant County, Texas is one of the many organizations on a mission to end domestic violence while providing a safe space for victims. There are currently more than 70 children at this particular shelter.
One of these children is a seven-year-old boy named Blake who has been living at SafeHaven for about two months with his mother. They reportedly fled an abusive father, and since it was an emergency situation Blake does not have any of his belongings with him.
A few weeks before Christmas, Blake wrote a letter to Santa as part of his holiday project at school — and his mother found the letter in his backpack.
“This happens to us everyday so when we initially saw this letter it wasn’t anything necessarily remarkable, as sad as that sounds,” Kathryn Jacob, president and CEO of SafeHaven, told USA Today. “We in no way thought it would resonate with so many people.”
In the letter, Blake asks Santa for all sorts of simple gifts that any kid would love… especially one who has been through so much and is living without his creature comforts.
For example, he asked for a dictionary, a compass, and a watch.
But then Blake asked for something else, and it’s heartbreaking to read.
SafeHaven shared the letter on Facebook but is making sure to protect the identity of Blake and his mom. It has since been shared by thousands of people across the country.
Source : https://www.littlethings.com/domestic-violence-letter-to-santa/