Brand new twin beds clad in cheerful quilts await mothers and children at the newly debuted Journey to Joy House in southern Maryland.
Located in Anne Arundel County, the Journey to Joy House is set to welcome women who are recovering from alcohol and drug abuse as well as the children they care for.
What makes the home so important, explains Program Director Pastor Meredith Wilkins, is that each room has two beds; one for mom and one for her child. In some cases, Wilkins explains, Journey to Joy House may be the first time mothers are reunited with their children since struggling with substance abuse and choosing recovery.
Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation answered the call to support Journey to Joy House, which has been in the works since 2006. Through Bob’s for Business, the foundation granted Wilkins and her team $6,000 to purchase new furniture for the home.
Just as the paint was drying on Joy Reigns Lutheran Church’s parsonage house-turned-recovery-home, a delivery truck filled with Bob’s furniture pulled up to unload. Before the day’s end, the four-bedroom, eight-room house was filled with places of refuge for incoming families.
In addition to two twin beds per room, the house features sofas and a dining room table from Bob’s. Wilkins says the roomy chair in the children’s area is one of her favorite items. “I imagine the mommas and the children reading, playing, and snuggling here,” she muses.
“As I have spoken to the moms in the past weeks,” continues Wilkins, “I have said this: ‘It’s hard to get and stay sober. It’s hard to be a mom. It’s hard to be a single mom. And it’s really hard to be a single, sober mom. We are here to support you.’”
The first family moved in during late October and all women are welcome to stay if they maintain sobriety and work toward growth, explains Wilkins. “Our mission is to provide an affirming and accountable sober living community where women recovering from substance abuse and their children will be nurtured to abundant life.”
