Got a spare phone charger?
A Clearwater nonprofit is asking you to donate your charger for its newest community drive.
Hope Villages of America (HVA) chief operating officer Melinda Perry said the devices can be life-saving for domestic abuse survivors.
She said many people flee their abusers, unable to pack everything they need.
"It's in the middle of the night when the police come,” Perry said. “It's something where they're able to have a go bag and they're able to sneak out. And a lot of times we don't carry our phone chargers with us. We always have our phone, but not necessarily the charger."
Perry said easy access to a charger gives survivors a way to ask for help, whether by calling the police or loved ones.
“Our phone is our life now,” Perry said. “Everything is on our phones now. It's our phone. It's our wallet. It's our clock. It's our cameras. Everything all in one."
ALSO READ: Florida’s Attorney General launches a program to help domestic violence survivors
This is the first time the organization is hosting a drive for chargers, but it has accepted smartphones in the past. Perry said the idea came up when shelter managers noticed many women would come in without a charger.
“A lot of times, if you don't have a charger for your phone and you don't have any funds available to purchase them, you're kind of out of luck,” Perry said.
She said phones, and by extension chargers, are imperative to survivors’ mental health. She said abusers often look to keep them separated from the “outside world.”
“Being able to have their phone and communicate with individuals, whether it's via text, e-mail, phone call, social media, just to be able to have that connection to the outside community is really important,” Perry said.
There were over 3,700 domestic violence offenses in Pinellas County in 2022, according to the Florida Department of Health’s most recent data. That accounts for around 5.5% of the more than 68,000 total offenses statewide.
Perry said their goal is to provide survivors with “whatever they need at no charge,” and all chargers will go to someone who is “trying to start over.”
You can drop off new or used chargers or monetary donations at the organization's outreach center at 1403 N. Ft. Harrison Ave. in Clearwater from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The drive will be open until Nov. 30, but Perry said the organization will be looking to host charger drives again in the future.
“We're hoping to be able to join with the community and be able to provide phone chargers for these women fleeing domestic violence,” Perry said.
Other organizations across the country emphasize having a safe line of communication for domestic violence survivors. More Than A Phone, a charity founded in 2017, aims to provide smartphones to survivors by partnering with shelters and wireless retailers.
Service providers like Verizon and T-Mobile also give advice to survivors who wish to separate their accounts from one’s abuser.
