Hundreds of people show up in support of YWCA’s Chocolate for Change

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — This year marks the forty-third annual Chocolate for Change event, hosted by the YWCA of Cass Clay. With chocolates, sweets, and chili galore, many came in with a sweet tooth.

“It’s really a special day for YWCA, it’s a delicious event supporting women and kids in our community. And we have all sorts of desserts, more than you can even imagine, that are provided by individual bakers and businesses, and bakeries in our community. And we also have chili provided by Paradiso and Cisco,” said Julie Haugen, Chief Operating Officer at YWCA Cass Clay.

Among those helping out were Cass and Clay County Sheriff’s, and KVRR’s Emily Welker, Alex Bertsch, and Dylan Haar.
While the sweet event showcases all the goods the community offers, the YWCA of Cass Clay provides assistance for over 1,500 women and children at the emergency shelter each year.

“It’s about seventy-five dollars to provide a night of shelter for a woman or her child at our emergency shelter. So we encourage folks to come out and provide that night of shelter, and our goal is to provide one night of shelter for a woman or child all year long,” said Haugen.

An average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States–about 12 million women and men each year. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office recently began using a domestic violence worksheet to provide information about resources available to victims and to help guide them through the process.

“Our domestic assaults have been up over the last three years, unfortunately. So that’s our higher amount of assault calls for service. We obviously take it very serious, whether it’s through our training at our office with the investigative tool that we just implemented. And then also just working close with the state’s attorney and the victim advocates,” said Jesse Jahner, Cass County Sheriff.