Purple pumpkins raise awareness of domestic violence

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ/Press Release) – The Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Coalition (DSVPC) and GreenHouse17 are partnering with local businesses and organizations to raise awareness of domestic violence during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

Starting Monday, Lexington businesses and organizations will display purple pumpkins until the end of the month to show that domestic violence can be found everywhere. Purple is the nationally recognized color for domestic violence awareness and the purple pumpkins are part of a new Peace Pumpkins campaign from GreenHouse17 and DSVPC.

“We’ve had such great support for our city-wide awareness events and are excited to support survivors and raise awareness about domestic violence in October,” says Ashley Hill, Chair of the DSVPC Outreach and Awareness Committee. “By placing these pumpkins around Lexington, in many different types of locations, we hope survivors will see how many resources are available and find safety in our city.”

The DSVPC says on average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner, which is more than one person every three seconds.

“Each pumpkin has a QR code linking to a list of local domestic violence resources and services,” says Stephanie Theakston, coordinator for the DSVPC.

According to the DSVPC, Kentucky women experience the highest rate of stalking in the nation and more than half of domestic violence nationwide goes unreported.

Anyone is welcome to join the campaign by painting and decorating their own purple pumpkin. Those who participate are encouraged to take a picture of themselves with the purple pumpkins they find and post the photo on social media using #PeacePumpkins and #LexStopDSV to spread the word of support and resources even further.

Learn more about the Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Coalition and GreenHouse17 on their websites. Anyone who has been or knows someone who has been a victim or survivor of domestic violence can contact GreenHouse17’s 24-hour Crisis Hotline at 1-800-544-2022.