Beaufort County is a Tier 1 county. The phrase is used often, but what does it really mean?

In the most general sense, it means there are more people who live with basic insecurities like whether they have enough food to eat, are able to pay for heat and water or go to sleep at night in a secure place.

One such population who may have encountered these insecurities are the women and children who are staying at Ruth’s House, Beaufort County’s domestic violence shelter.

“The women and children who seek shelter at Ruth’s House often arrive with little more than the clothes they’re wearing,” reads a statement on the shelter’s website.

It’s the community that the shelter relies upon to help provide for the basic needs of those driven by circumstance to go to Ruth’s House to find safety. On the nonprofit’s website is a list of needed items. These items range from blankets to diapers, laundry detergent to gloves and scarves; gift cards, dental floss, cough drops, toilet tissue, sponges, Tupperware — and the list goes on.

Many are the taken-for-granted necessities that most people simply have on hand at home. All can be picked up at a local grocery store or retail chain.

The stakeholders in Ruth’s House make it easy to donate. Any donations, whether monetary or physical items from the wish list, can be dropped off at the Ruth’s House Antique Shop in downtown Washington.

So, this year, as we approach the first holiday in the season of giving, consider adding a few items from the Ruth’s House wish list when shopping for turkey and fixins’ this week. Consider searching for the perfect Christmas gift at Ruth’s House Antique Shop, an emporium of donated antiques, furniture, glassware and other collectibles.

The gift of providing security to those in desperate need of it is a gift worth giving — always.

For more information, visit ruths-house.org. Ruth’s House Antique Shop is located at 128 W. Main St., Washington.