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Anti-Domestic Violence Campaign Draws World Attention

By Camas Frank ~

For almost 18 years, the folks at Meathead Movers, a SLO-based moving company, have been helping victims of domestic abuse get out of harms way.

At first fielding calls with individual, heart-breaking stories on a case-by-case basis, the company formalized its efforts, partnering with local women’s shelters and social support organizations near all of their regional offices. And so it went for many years, said Aaron Steed, CEO and co-founder of Meathead Movers, who started the company with his brother Evan in 1997.

“We have partnerships with seven shelters across California in every market where we operate,” he said, explaining that the work largely flew under the radar until, “the media in L.A. interviewed someone we worked with.”

In early September, Meathead’s pledge to offer free moves through the non-profit Good Shepherd Home in Los Angeles got picked up and shared by the L.A. Weekly and Huffington Post causing their efforts to, “go viral.”

“Meathead Movers will work directly with the nonprofit to identify the abusive situations and provide moving services at no cost.” The part that grabbed the most attention reads, “Not only do these services help the victims of domestic abuse but they directly impact Meathead employees — consisting of predominantly young men who believe that real men don’t hit women, real men help those in need.”

The company has carried out hundreds such moves over the years, said Steed, but only 50 or so this year. While the initial partnership and most of their moves for the first several years were around the Central Coast, a side effect of having an international Twitter campaign (#movetoendDV) attached to their sudden popularity, is that attention from other continents has been more intense than anything local.

“We just wanted to take advantage of the attention to spur a larger movement to help victims of domestic violence,” said Steed, explaining that he’s dedicated a full time employee to fielding calls from all over the world and soliciting pledges from other businesses to do their own part.

“Each pledge is confirmed by our staff before we put it online. We’ve had up to 500 private messages come in and we talk to all of them. If I can look back in a few years and see that a hundred businesses have given the same level we have that will be worth it.”

So far more people have contacted Meathead from Australia than inside of San Luis Obispo.

“We were on their equivalent of the Today Show,” Steed said. “So we got a lot of feedback from them. But people have been touched and inspired and we’ve received messages from Africa, Australia and Europe.”

As part of collecting 100 specific pledges on their website, Steed explained, they’re encouraging people to think outside the moving box.

There are many other areas that businesses can help; security system installers are an example, as are real estate agents. Even hair stylists all have tools and resources that can help someone in danger.”

A video narrated by Steed explains the ways that others can help and a little background on their story through the company’s YouTube account at: youtu.be/GBpoX36QWA.

“Right now we’re building this campaign,” he said. “I don’t know when we might be done but I’m excited to find out where we can go with it. Its incredibly rewarding and frankly fun to have so much communication with people around the world who have been moved and seeing what they can do to address domestic violence.”

About the author

Justin Stoner

Justin is a journalist of more than 20 years. He specializes in digital technology and social media strategy. He enjoys using photography and video production as storytelling tools.

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