AKRON, Ohio — The holiday season is traditionally a time of celebration and giving, but for some families, staying safe is top of mind.
To assist Akron’s Battered Women’s Shelter and Rape Crisis Center in keeping some of the community’s most vulnerable people safe, on Wednesday, Amazon presented a $30,000 donation to the shelter to the agency’s CEO, Teresa Stafford.
Amazon and shelter employees gathered at the shelter for the event, along with Akron Deputy Mayor Marco Sommerville.
Also on Wednesday, Amazon teams delivered much-needed household essentials to two families currently in the care of the shelter, said Mike Boorstein, general manager of the Amazon Akron Fulfillment Center on Romig Road at the site of the former Rolling Acres Mall.
“We often think about toys during the holidays, but I think we all know that in many cases, it's more meaningful, and more necessary, to provide, you know, things like furniture, bedding and so forth to families who, that's the first thing that they really need,” Boorstein said.
The donations are part of the company’s Peak Giving Campaign, which runs from Thanksgiving through the end of the year at Amazon facilities around the world, he said.
In addition to monetary donations, Amazon also provides thousands of volunteer hours in the communities it services, he said.
“So, as part of this big giving campaign, at Amazon, we've identified the most impactful, the most effective organizations and the Battered Women's Shelter, it's one of those,” Boorstein said.
The shelter and crisis center serve people from all walks of life — women and children, as well as men, Stafford said. The shelter currently houses more than 60 children, which is more than half the population of the shelter.
“I just want you all to remember that it's not about one person,” she told those gathered at the shelter. “It’s about multiple people, because when domestic violence is hitting a household, it not only impacts that house, but that community. And that's why it takes a community to help these families through their healing process.”
The Battered Women’s Shelter moved to its East Market Street location in 2017, moving survivors out of aging houses around the city where they were meant to stay hidden.
Under former CEO Terri Heckman, who led led the agency for nearly 40 years, the Battered Women’s Shelter and Rape Crisis Center consolidated operations in a cheerfully painted and remodeled former nursing home now known as the Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center.
The 160-bed, 50,000-square-foot facility is guarded around the clock and sits next door to Akron Fire Station No. 2, which is staffed 24/7.
Stafford, who picked up the torch from Heckman in February, said the agency can’t do the work it does without the support of the community and partnerships with entities, like Amazon and the city of Akron.
“As a partner with Amazon, we're helping these two families today,” she said. “But we know there's so many more families that we work with on a day-to-day basis — they still need our help and need the community help at large. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a relationship that we can build upon.”
With Amazon employing about 5,000 workers locally, Boorstein said he hears about families who are struggling because of the pandemic and skyrocketing inflation almost every day.
“Amazon is able to do certain things, but we can't do what an organization like Teresa's does,” he said.
Those who call the shelter’s hotline are brave for reaching out, Stafford said. They’re often tired, but they know they deserve more.
“A lot of times survivors stay because they have that fear of being unhoused or homeless,” she said. “So, having our housing programs here at the battered women's shelter are essential to help survivors on their journey of healing.”
Sommerville said the city is fortunate Amazon came to Akron to bring jobs, but also that the company is giving back.
“This women's shelter has been a staple in this community,” he said. “We want to make sure that women who are assaulted or in a domestic-violence situation have some place to go where they can get back on their feet and get an opportunity in life.”
The shelter publishes a wish list on its website for those who want to help but don’t know what kinds of donations are accepted, Stafford said.
The shelter has no more room for donated clothing, she said, but is always in need of inflatable mattresses, bedding, cleaning supplies, kitchen utensils, baby wipes and baby formula.
To learn more, visit the Battered Women’s Shelter and Rape Crisis Center website.