NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton Roads’ British residents are giving back to the community by donating to the HER Shelter.
British Royal Navy Petty Officer Geoff Wernham and Kay Bennett say they came up a donation project to show their appreciation for the community that’s welcomed them with open arms.
“We’ve looked at what we might be able to do and this seems to have taken hold very quickly,” Bennett said. “The response we’ve had so far has been overwhelming.”
There are more than 300 plus British families living in Hampton Roads because NATO headquarters is here.
Bennett came to the area two years ago after her husband was assigned here. Wernham has been here for a year.
Wernham found out about the HER Shelter from friends.
“I personally think that no matter who you are, I feel like we’ve come across, in our lives, some sort of domestic violence abuse. We’ve come across it through a friend or experienced it ourselves,” he said.
They’re officially kicking off their donation project for their community this week to help the shelter that’s full of domestic violence survivors and their children.
“With any organization that is helping the community, I think we expected there would be additonal need at this difficult time for so many people. When you have children involved, that’s always something that’s a little harder to bear,” Bennett said.
HER Shelter executive director Olivia Smithberger says about two-thirds of the people they help are children.
Right now, their three shelters are full and they’ve had to place an additional 22 others in local hotels.
“We’re really trying to make sure that although life looks different right now, we’re still able to provide safety and resources for the people that need it,” she said.
Loss of income and spending more time together are some of the reasons Smithberger says they’ve seen an increase.
And, they’re relying on the community to help them make sure they have everything they need for those at the shelter.
“It’s so important. We rely heavily on community support regularly, even more during something like this. People are having a hard time getting items like toilet paper and cleaning supplies so with a shelter with 70 to 80 people, we need a lot of that,” she said.
While the HER Shelter isn’t taking drop off locations at this time, Smithberger says you can help by donating money online or just raising awareness about their shelter.
They are also holding a donation drive from June 22 to June 27.
“If you can’t donate time or money or things, you can spread awareness. Go on our Facebook page. Like our page. Educate people around you. There are so many ways you can give back and we need all of those even more right now than before,” she said.
Wernham and Bennett have already started collecting donations from the British community even though it officially kicks off this week.
They hope it’s a project that can continue long after the pandemic and want victims of domestic violence to know they’re here to support them.
“I hope people that are watching this and are suffering in silence reach out to the shelters and HER Shelter and ask for help,” Wernham said.
For more information about the HER Shelter, click here.
