$450,000 raised for survivors of domestic abuse

Santa Rosa chef, winemaker honored by YWCA, help raise $450,000 for survivors of domestic abuse

Liza Hinman of The Spinster Sisters and Mary Dewane of Benovia Winery encouraged event attendees to bid generously at the Gather 2024 live auction.|

BY PEG MELNIK, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT, May 7, 2024, 10:58AM

Mary Dewane of Benovia Winery and Liza Hinman of The Spinster Sisters restaurant (both in Santa Rosa) were honored May 3 at “Gather 2024: Women, Wine, Chefs and Cheese,” a fundraiser organized by YWCA Sonoma County at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma.

Dewane, as the Honorary Woman in Wine, and Hinman, as the Honorary Chef, encouraged event attendees — in a video address — to bid generously at a live auction, helping the YWCA raise an estimated $450,000 for survivors of domestic violence. (Dewane was not able to attend the event in person.)

Vital programs

Commenting on the work of YWCA Sonoma County, Dewane said its programs are impressive and vital. “The YWCA provides the only 24-hour, 7-days-a-week hotline in the county for those experiencing abuse, the only therapeutic preschool and counseling center for children, and the only safe house in the county for women,” she said. Together with her husband and co-vintner Joe Anderson, Dewane has been a longtime supporter of Sonoma County auctions.

In 2015, the couple were co-chairs of the Sonoma County Wine Auction, where they raised $4.5 million together with local vintner Jean-Charles Boisset, a record at the time. The majority of the funds raised benefited literacy programs in Sonoma County.

Hinman also is well-known for her philanthropy. Among other endeavors, she’s the founder and the current vice president of the Sonoma County Chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier International, a philanthropic organization that supports women in the field of hospitality.

A safe house

One in four women in the U.S. experience domestic violence, explained Madeleine Keegan O’Connell, the CEO of YWCA Sonoma County, at the Gather 2024 fundraiser. She stressed that an integral part of the YWCA’s mission is for everyone to be safe in their own home.

Dewane and Hinman recently visited the YWCA’s safe house and said at the event that the women and children there were thriving. Keegan O’Connell introduced a video about the safe house, in which women living there shared their true stories, she said.

One woman, named Wendy, a mother of two with a newborn on the way, said her partner was taking and selling drugs. “When I confronted him, he bolted off the couch and tried to strangle me in front of the kids,” she said. Wendy’s sister eventually convinced her she couldn’t remain in the abusive relationship and guided her to the YWCA safe house.

“Every year, I cry when they show the video … How can you not? It’s so heart-wrenching,” said Josh Silvers, chef/co-owner of Jackson’s Bar & Oven in Santa Rosa, who attended the fundraiser and is also an auction regular, together with his wife, Regina.

Wine for a good cause

21 local winemakers hosted tables at the YWCA fundraiser, each sharing nine bottles of wine, as well as a magnum for an auction lot.

“This is such a good cause for supporting women. It’s always nice to do something women-based,” said Diane Wilson of Wilson Winery in Healdsburg.

One of the auction bidders, Jessica Brown, a lawyer at the San Francisco-based law firm Holland & Knight, said she had no spending limit. “The YWCA’s mission to empower women is very close to my heart,” she said. “It’s great to see women taking the lead in the food and beverage industry. It’s the perfect event to see those two forces combined.”

As the fundraiser unfolded, there was a lot in play: the rapid-fire banter of the auctioneer, the spiraling lots, the splash of tasty wine and the roll out of delicious entrees. But it was the sweetness of the day — watching women in need being supported by fellow women in Wine Country — that lingered.

Find more information on YWCA Sonoma County and its programs at ywcasc.org.

Editor’s Note: Benovia Winery is partnering with The Press Democrat Journalism Trust in a soon-to-be-announced fundraising effort to provide sustainable local journalism for Sonoma and Napa counties.