Howard County businesses support domestic violence survivors through a partnership

A campaign has brought a Howard County nonprofit and local businesses together to ensure domestic violence and sexual assault survivors feel safe.

In the inaugural Be Our Valentine campaign, HopeWorks aims to build a stronger network for survivors. 

While the campaign officially ends after Saturday, HopeWorks hopes to continue the partnerships beyond February.     

Building community

Before you even walk into Queen Takes Book in Columbia, the bookstore's goal is to make you feel comfortable and safe.

Once you're inside, bookseller Emily Tuttle said she and the other workers hope you feel at home.

"[Making a space] where they feel as though they can browse the shelves and just have a moment to themselves if they need to," Tuttle said.

Queens Take Book took it a step further this month, though, by taking part in the Be Our Valentine campaign.

Tuttle said it's a "no brainer" kind of partnership, given Queens Take Book is a women-owned bookstore and HopeWorks is the county's only comprehensive domestic violence and sexual assault center.

"When we think about our community, we are thinking about supporting each other, really just leaning into that connection," Tuttle said. "So I think it makes so much sense for us to do this campaign with them."

The overall goal of taking part in the campaign is advancing and spreading awareness of HopeWork's work and message. It can be done in a number of ways, whether it be by donating money outright, or figuring some kind of special with the business.

Queen Takes Book, for example, is doing a Blind Date with a Book special. People can pick up one of these books and, if they donate five dollars to HopeWorks, they'll get a five dollar discount on the book.

Queen Takes Book is one of three businesses participating. Immaculate Clean and Nest Movement Studio also are taking part.

Why winter is a critical time to spread awareness

The winter season is always a time to ensure HopeWorks is spreading awareness of its services.

"We wanna make sure that survivors have an outlet and know that our services are available," said Ngozi Obineme, HopeWorks' executive director.

Obineme said winter is always when domestic violence and sexual assault incidents see an uptick, because people typically spend more time at home.

With as bad as the storms have been this season, Obineme said they've recently seen more inquiries into their services.

With the campaign, she hopes HopeWorks is reaching a wider audience.

"Being able to provide emergency shelter, legal advocacy, and counseling requires strong community partnership," Obineme said.

HopeWorks is working to establish partnerships with more businesses after the campaign ends.