Thirty years ago, the organization that would one day become the Rutland County Women's Network and Shelter started literally behind bars in a converted jailhouse.

Three decades later, the director of the group that shelters and advocates for victims of domestic violence said a lot more than the group's location has changed.

"The shelter was regarded as a bunch of man-haters at first," executive director Měche Chamberlain said. "But now I think people understand it's not just a woman's issue. The shift came in understanding that domestic violence is something that can affect everyone male and female, rich or poor."

The organization will celebrate its birthday today by having a public party designed around the people it tries to protect — families. The event, dubbed "Harvest Day," will take place at Main Street Park in Rutland from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with music, games, food — including a big cake — and family activities such as scarecrow making. Admittance to the event is free, but Chamberlain said her group is asking those able to bring a canned good for the food shelf.

The celebration also dovetails with National Domestic Violence Awareness month.

Founded as the Battered Women's Shelter in 1979, almost everything about the organization has changed except the grassroots efforts that brought the nonprofit organization into being.

Over the years, the group has changed locations — they changed their name 10 years ago — moving from old jail cells on Center Street in the city to a new location in Rutland. The shelter offers respite to men, women and children fleeing violent homes. Over the years, the 20-bed home has sheltered thousands. Last year alone, the group worked with 5,000 clients who either stayed at the shelter or benefited from advocacy, clinics run by the network and court advocacy.

The group has also grown from a staff of just a handful of volunteers to an organization employing eight full-time staff and about 40 volunteers — and there's always room for more help, Chamberlain said. Information about the shelter and volunteer opportunities can be found on the group's Web site at www.rcwn.org.

The network helps women rebuild their lives after they've left the shelter by connecting women to parenting groups, offering extended services and staying in close contact with women who have moved on.

Former executive director Bonnie Gainer, who retired from the network in 2004, says she sees the fruits of her labors all the time.

"Every time I go into Rutland I see someone," Gainer said. "After 15 years of doing this, I certainly know a lot of people who were in bad spots, sought shelter with us and are now living healthy lives."

brent.curtis@rutlandherald.com