PURPLE PROJECT DONATES TO LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE NONPROFIT
Supplies will go to emergency and transitional shelters
The Purple Project delivered a car full of donations to the Center for Community Solutions last week to help supply their domestic violence shelters across San Diego County.
“Our events and projects serve two important goals, which are to raise awareness about domestic violence and to support victims of domestic violence as they transition into a better and safer life,” said Jordan Conole, founder and executive director of The Purple Project.
Food, diapers, strollers, towels, craft items, and more were donated, providing some much-needed supplies to the Center for Community Solutions. The nonprofit’s four locations — two emergency shelters and two transitional shelters — house individuals and their children fleeing domestic violence, while providing them with wraparound services like victim advocacy, trauma counseling, legal services and prevention education.
“By the time somebody needs our shelter, it can really be life-threatening,” said the center’s CEO Verna GriffinTabor. “Folks often (leave home) with nothing but the shirts on their back because they have to get out when it’s safe ... so all of this is going to be incredibly helpful because they’re starting over.”
In the U.S., 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience some form of domestic violence, according to data collected by the Department of Justice.
At the center, requests for help went up 64 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, Griffin-Tabor said. In fiscal 2021, 186 adults and children received 10,946 nights of safety at the center. The center also provided 3,765 counseling sessions, and crisis hotline counselors responded to 5,304 calls.
Last week’s donation from The Purple Project was what center staff called “Christmas in June,” as the nonprofit hit nearly everything on their in-kind donation wish list.
Funds from the donation were aggregated from The Purple Project’s recent stand-up comedy show fundraiser, “Something Funny,” which brought three of San Diego’s comedy clubs — Comedy Heights, Riff City and Kash Komedy — together for the first time to raise funds and awareness for domestic violence.
“I am so thankful to our community for coming together to make donations like this possible,” Conole said. “I’d like to encourage organizations and individuals in our community to continue helping us make an impact on domestic violence survivors’ lives.”
The center’s domestic violence 24/7 toll-free crisis hotline can be reached at (888) 385-4657.