Gingerbread-house contest to benefit Safe Homes' families

Newburgh —St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, in Washingtonville, is hosting and sponsoring the 2nd Annual Safe Homes’ Gingerbread-House Contest on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open to the public, this fund-raising event is the result of a holiday tradition started by local Washingtonville families and their friends. Contestants now build their gingerbread-houses to benefit Safe Homes-and families seeking a safe home, free of violence and abuse. Suggested donations of $14 and $20 include a small or large gingerbread-house kit and a contribution to the fight against domestic violence in Orange County. For information and directions, call 845-496-3961. Reservations are strongly suggested. As in previous years, Gingerbread-House artist Bill Bell, of Newburgh, has donated a Victorian masterpiece to inspire contenders and boost fund-raising efforts. Bell’s gingerbread mansion will be raffled off on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Raffle tickets are $1; to purchase, call Safe Homes at 845-562-5365. Safe Homes is the county’s only non-profit agency fully dedicated to the elimination of domestic violence, through comprehensive services to survivors and programs to increase public awareness and education on domestic violence issues.