Moving Company Offers Free Services For Victims Of Domestic Abuse
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Meathead Movers offers services for free to victims of domestic abuse
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-85234311/
BY BRITTANY WOOLSEY
December 6, 2015, 3:00 a.m.
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"To our unfortunate surprise, during the first two or three years running the company, I'd be the one who would pick up the calls," said Steed, 35, of Avila Beach, in San Luis Obispo County. "I'd periodically get calls from someone — usually a woman — fleeing an abusive relationship. There were a lot of intense moments and crying. "I remember the conversations pretty vividly and feeling a tremendous amount of panic and sadness. Handling those phone calls made it very real very quick. As the jobs went on, we realized we were potentially saving lives." He felt bad taking money in these situations, so shortly after the company was created 18 years ago, that became company policy — free moving services to people fleeing violent situations.
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Steed said the company, which employs mainly student athletes, has garnered a reputation for sensitivity and kindness. "It wasn't so much about how we moved furniture," he said. "It was about how we made our clients feel. We really care about the customers' experience. Because we hire clean-cut, drug-free student athletes, our customers can just tell the caliber of individual that we employ."
Sensitivity is certainly called for when dealing with delicate situations, but so is a certain amount of training. Steed said Meathead Movers relies on relationships with local domestic violence shelters, and the shelters have outlined memorandums of understanding, which include all movers being trained by the shelters in how to handle the sort of situations they encounter.
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Kathleen Buczko, executive director of Good Shepherd Shelter, a refuge for homeless women and children in Los Angeles, said Meathead Movers' help has been "invaluable." "From an emergency perspective, having the opportunity to move your stuff out and put it in a protected place affords the opportunity for individuals to get into a safe situation quicker," said Buczko, adding that Good Shepherd Shelter has had a relationship with Meathead Movers for about a year.
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Steed said he hopes the experiences help to shape his young employees.
"As I get older, I can't help but really value and appreciate more and more the tone this sets for my employees who are involved in actually moving these victims," Steed said. "I can't help but think and hope that it changes their perception of themselves and their ability to have a major impact to do something that can really help someone in need.
"We've moved everywhere from the poorest of neighborhoods to the richest people. It doesn't matter. This [abuse] is everywhere."
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