The Ms. Molly Foundation.

Celebrating 25 Years of Giving Back During Unprecedented Times

by Elizabeth Denham

In April, the Ms. Molly Foundation celebrated 25 years of supporting all who experience domestic violence in this country. With the pandemic gripping the world, 2020 was particularly hard on those who suffer violence at the hands of abusers in their homes or their intimate relationships.

2020 was particularly hard on those who suffer violence at the hands of abusers.

“Last year was difficult on two fronts,” Michelle Robles, Director of Systems for Molly Maid USA said. “It was difficult for women suffering from domestic violence, and it was also difficult for shelters who support these women and rely on monetary donations as well as in-kind donations to function effectively.”

Robles said that the number of incidents increased dramatically over the last year-and-a-half due to people being in closer proximity for long periods since offices and schools worked remotely. This gave rise to more opportunities for violent interactions and dangerous power and control dynamics.

“The hours women could escape their abusers during the day for work were gone,” she noted. “Now, they were with their abusers all day every day. And there were more opportunities for abusers to assert power and control over their victims by withholding the vaccine from them or by feeding them misinformation. It was a totally different way to isolate them.”

But there is some good news. While donations to the Ms. Molly Foundation were down overall last year, customer donations continued to come through.

“We were pleasantly surprised that customer donations barely changed during the pandemic,” Robles explained. “Our customers are very loyal, and we were pleasantly surprised that we ended last year with approximately $75,000 in donations overall.”

Franchisee donations were down because they are made per cleaning, and with COVID-19 restrictions, cleanings were significantly reduced. In an average year, donations stay around the $225,000 to $250,000 level.

Robles mentioned that most of their donations come in between October and December each year due to the fundraising they do for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so she is hoping to see donations for this year meet or exceed those of 2020.

“Our ‘Make a Difference Drive’ is launching in October,” she said. “So, I would love to see the numbers closer to the 200s again.”

Robles said that this cause is something many of their locations embrace and get excited about, and she noted that they have owners who donate their time by cleaning local shelters, cleaning the office space of shelters in addition to the fundraising they do for their local organizations.

“If a local Molly Maid office supports their local shelter, 100 percent of the customer donations go to that shelter,” Robles explained. “Corporate donations from Neighborly (the parent company of Molly Maid) go to the general fund, and locations without a local shelter affiliation go to the general fund.”

Robles said Neighborly has also gotten involved in the cause with the Ms. Molly Foundation and is helping to get the word out and get other brands involved.

“I am excited to get to in-person events again,” Robles said. “We are excited about our vendor booth at the Neighborly Reunion and sharing with the other brands the importance of this issue. It can happen to anyone in any group, and the more we can get the word out and get others to buy into the idea of raising awareness and supporting the foundation, the more we can do.”

For more information, please visit www.MollyMaid.com.

Ms. Molly Foundation Making a Difference Drive for October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month

How can you help?

Make a tax-deductible donation to the Ms. Molly Foundation: Click Here to donate.

Ms. Molly Foundation also participates in AmazonSmile, a simple way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. Click Here to add the Ms. Molly Foundation to your Amazon account.

Molly Maid has always looked for ways to give back to our communities. In 1996, the founders established the Ms. Molly Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports victims of domestic violence. The mission is not only to increase public awareness of domestic violence, but also to provide assistance to local agencies that support victims in the communities we serve.