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By Brenda Wynn

Community Advocate Inner Banks Hotline

Another Thanksgiving season is rolling around but this time it is entirely different than we have ever seen before or maybe it isn’t.

COVID-19 has families wondering what they will be doing on Thanksgiving Day, will they choose to be alone, or will they choose to social distance in small gatherings or will they try and have a normal holiday season.

There is one group of persons who will be just hoping to make it through the month much less the holiday and that group is those facing Domestic Violence, another public health crisis.

Not being able to be around friends and family makes a bad situation worse Domestic Violence somehow has taken this pandemic as an opportunity to rear it’s ugly head even more. The threat of courts being limited to cases and the fact that victims are spending far more time closed up with their victimizer. The reluctance to call for help because of facing the uncertainty of COVID-19 exposure for them and their children.

It was hard enough to get a client to develop safe escape plans without a pandemic. It is a very delicate situation and requires a lot of things to happen in harmony in order for the client to receive optimum levels of protection from their abuser.

This Thanksgiving check on a family, friend or neighbor that you might suspect that they are facing a potentially difficult situation, invite someone over if you are having outdoor activities (this will at least get the children out of the house), showing them there are outlets just might save a life.

Even if the COVID-19 numbers are still rising, try to avoid a Thanksgiving with Domestic Violence tragedy in your neighbor. Give someone a reason to be truly Thankful.

If you know DV is part of your life, feel free to speak with a staff member at IBX Hotline. Our advocates can give them safety planning tips and avenues to help prevent a full blown out domestic violence event.

The Inner Banks Hotline 24-hour crisis line number is 1-877-429-5526

Thrift store hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Donations are accepted in the back in the open carport at 507 US Hwy. 64 E (beside Family Dollar).

Hotline staff is Janie Spencer, Executive Director;  Norma Hill, Client Advocate; Brenda Wynn, Community/Asst. Client Advocate; Gloria Owens, Thrift Store Manager.