LAYTON — Anyone wanting to get a dose of Christmas spirit can find plenty of it at the annual Evergreen fund raiser, here, Nov. 17 and 18.

There will be dozens of trees decorated in all kinds of themes, a silent auction, crafts for sale and a dinner – all to benefit Safe Harbor Domestic Violence Shelter.

Last year, nearly $150,000 was raised during the event, which is the big fund raiser for the shelter.

It will be held at the Davis Conference Center, 1651 N. 700 W., Layton. On Monday, visitors are welcome 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with various choirs to perform and crafts available for purchase from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., says Kay Card, the shelter’s executive director.

There will also be pictures with Santa and a chance for visitors to vote on their favorite tree via the People’s Choice Awards, she says. Admission is $3 per person or $5 a family.

There will be about 25 decorated trees and 100 silent auction items on hand.

A $5,500 mountain bike is among items in the silent auction, a car, certificate for Lasik surgery, several weekend getaways, airline tickets and many other items.

Tuesday, the public can visit from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the silent auction starts at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will follow at 6:30 p.m. Dinner prices are $50 a person or $750 a table. RSVPs can be made by calling 820-5400.

“We really haven’t run into a problem, yet, with anybody saying we can’t do it (donate) right now,” Card said, referring to the economic downturn.

“We’re hoping for a good crowd. We are aware the economy is tough right now for lots of people,” she said.

“We’re seeing that in our numbers of people served. More and more people are under pressure, and we’re seeing our services used,” Card said.

“It’s been really hard. We have people waiting to take that space, on waiting lists. We’re trying to be very creative, finding places for them to stay, to decrease their risk of being in the home,” she said.

That has included everything from placing people in motels to collaborating with other agencies to find places and services.

“We’ve worked with the other 15 shelters in the state, to see what spots may be open,” Card said.

“We’ve really seen an impact on families with this financial crisis,” she said. “I think there is a lack of resources, jobs drying up, bills that need to be paid. You don’t see that in every family, but if a family is at a tipping point, this will tip it for them.

“Where we may not have seen a family needing help, we’re starting to see that. Maybe they had a few communication problems, had a few financial problems, they were able to pay their bills, keep their families going,” Card said.

“We’re seeing that kind of trouble, the need for support is great for those families,” she said.

“We are seeing the shelter pretty much running full all the time,” Card said. “We’re seeing our outreach program, which provides services to families not in the shelter, almost tripled.

“More and more people are coming in to find out about our services, to keep their family safe. They want some other resources, they know there’s a problem. They want help.

“That actually is better than not seeking out help,” Card said. “We’re seeing rising awareness in the community. People know our services are available to them, know they can get that help.”

She praised the Evergreen committee, chaired by Carlene Kemp. “They work all year round, are a group of very committed people so willing to give of their time.”

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com