NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Two days before Valentine’s Day, a group of women is doing something sweet for other women in the community.
“I thought, you know what, this would be the perfect day to show them a little love even if they haven’t had healthy love in a long time,” said Dedra Moon, who is coordinating the project.
She’s working with a small group to give boxes of chocolate to shelters and nonprofits that help women dealing with domestic violence.
“If they don’t know that someone cares, this is just a small token to show that someone who they don’t know, who they may never be able to thank, cared enough to send them a little bit of healthy love on Valentine’s Day,” said Moon.
She collected donations from the community and then reached out to local organizations, like the GROW Foundation and HER Shelter.
“I just thought it was a really genuine and sincere way just to give back to domestic violence victims,” said Neisha Himes, who is a domestic violence survivor and founded the nonprofit GROW Foundation, which helps women in similiar situations. She knows just how meaningful something as simple as chocolate can be.
Himes said, “Just to remind her that she hasn’t been forgotten. That there are people who remember her. That she’s just not a stastic or victim in a shelter. That somebody is thinking about her, there are people in the community who want to see her thrive.”
These women say they’re looking forward to giving out the boxes of love.
“Just the love and care of people reaching out to them, people that they didn’t expect, people that they have no clue who are giving the chocolates and they can feel the love from them,” said Raven Watkins with the HER Shelter.
Moon hopes this is just the beginning. She said, “If I can rally the community to help me spread a little bit of joy. What might others be able to do?”
She says her next project is to give boxes of chocolate to children who are affected by domestic violence. You can contact her at thecocawave@gmail.com to get involved.
