Pender County non-profit holds event to bring domestic violence awareness
PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – An event hosted by Safe Haven helped empower domestic violence survivors and bring awareness to the issue impacting many in the country, including right here in the Cape Fear.
The Clothesline Project held in Hampstead and Burgaw on Saturday provided supplies to decorate t-shirts, to express experiences, thoughts, and messages related to domestic violence.
The t-shirts were then displayed and hung on clotheslines as a metaphor to “air out the laundry” and to remind people living with this issue, they are not alone.
Melia Allen is a frequent shopper at Safe Haven thrift stores in Hampstead, and a survivor of domestic violence.
Allen felt compelled to participate in Saturday’s event in hopes somebody who had gone through a similar trauma will feel encouraged to no longer accept the abuse.
“There are women out there that are physically abused, sexually abused, mentality abused, and that had sort of been my case, and I know it took a long time for me to get myself back from all that,” said Allen. “That’s why I said, don’t even. So don’t even think, that is a note to the other person, don’t you even think about doing something like this to me.”
Safe Haven supports and provides victims and survivors of domestic violence with shelter, clothing, food, as well as a variety of resources, available to everyone.
The Pender County 20-bed and seven-room shelter is supported through profits from their thrift stores located in Burgaw and Hamstead, which sell clothing and home furnishings.
According to Safe Haven’s Executive Director Tracey Ray, many experience domestic violence, and it will take the community to help stop it.
“A lot of what we have to continue to do is make awareness available, make resources available to individuals, in our stores, in our communities, in our churches, and our families,” she said. “This is what we are hoping to do, maybe a family member will come in today, and they know another family member is in a family situation that could be, or maybe abusive. Then they can pick up our resource information and maybe be able to provide that to them.”
Ray asks supporters to display purple lights and yard signs as a way to increase awareness, and invite the community to Purple Thursday, planned on October 20, as part of domestic violence awareness month in honor of victims and survivors for a candlelight vigil that starts at 6 p.m.
Organizers ask participants to meet at Brown Dog Coffee in downtown Burgaw at 5:30 p.m. and walk to Hankins Park for the vigil, more information can be found here.
More information on Safe Haven and its resources can be found here.
