The cabinets were falling off of the walls and there was exposed plumbing under the sink. Something needed to be done to provide a little more comfort for the women and children at the shelter seeking safe haven from abusers, Bender said.
The women’s local civic group decided a kitchen re-do would be in its plans. Work began in October and was finished last week with a modern and new kitchen as the result.
 Carol Mumm, executive director of SNAP, with other SNAP workers as they show off their newly remodeled kitchen. Les Jeunes Amies contributed more than $1,500 on supplies and helped in the renovations. HOLLY LELEUX-THUBRON / THE DAILY IBERIAN Advertisement
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SNAP Executive Director Carol Mumm said the Les Jeunes Amies group consists of “really fine young women who had a heart to do something special for the shelter, and the women and children.”
She said they completely refurbished the room, refacing the cabinets, adding new sinks, faucets and countertops.
Bender said the group spent a little more than $1,500 on project, done so inexpensively for such a large-scale makeover because the carpenter she recruited also decided to donate his time.
“Domestic violence is on the rise here,” Mumm said. “It’s a real problem here, but there’s also people that care. These women wanted to make things easier for those that come through here.”
Les Jeunes Amies’ work for SNAP is not done yet, Bender said.
There are efforts currently to lobby state legislators for additional funding for the shelter, to find a way to provide additional counseling to the children here who may not have been abused themselves but who witnessed abuse and remain confused why they cannot see their fathers anymore, Bender said.
Also, the group is working on creating a network of lawyers who might volunteer their time to help the women of the shelter in court.
“They have a paralegal available to them now,” Bender said. “But when they go to court, the paralegal can’t speak for them and there they are, facing their abuser with his attorney across the aisle. It can be intimidating.”
Mumm said she wanted to make sure Teche Area residents knew there is a caliber of women like this in the community, dedicated and who really care about other women and their needs.
Les Jeunes Amies, which means “the young friends,” was organized locally in 1958. More information on its efforts is available at www.lesjeunesamies.org.
SNAP has provided shelter in Iberia Parish to abused women and their children since 1983.
The nonprofit organization also offers many other services, including a 24-hour crisis line, life skills training and legal advocacy.
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