Thanks to one team member’s suggestion, the Meijer store team in Warren, Mich. voted to donate $5,000 to a nonprofit helping domestic violence survivors in their community recently. Survivors of domestic violence often struggle to get on their feet after leaving an abusive relationship, and The Butterfly Collective is there to provide them with a range of support, based on their needs.
More than the financial support, survivors who’ve been helped by The Butterfly Collective say the emotional support has been key to escaping their trauma to build a new life for them and their children.
“Our organization runs on generous donations like these, and 100 percent of all donations go to support survivors of domestic violence,” said Lynne Fiscelli, The Butterfly Collective President and the organization’s Founder. “We help survivors by providing security deposits for a home, money for utilities and groceries, gas cards, new beds and bedding for moms and children, and even cover hotel costs for up to a month.”
This donation is part of Meijer Team Gives, a program thatstarted in 2021 and annually empowers Meijer store and distribution facility team members to select and donate to nonprofits meaningful to them and their local communities. During this latest version of the Meijer Team Gives program, each store and distribution facility received $5,000 to donate to a nonprofit in their community. Team members at each location worked together to identify the local nonprofits meaningful to them and the communities they serve.
Jackie Gregory, Asset Protection Team Leader, suggested the organization for the Meijer Team Gives donation after she and her neighbors raised money for The Butterfly Collective last year during their popular Halloween display fundraiser, called Chaos on Colman Street.
“We were doing some research trying to find a local organization that we can impact with our donation,” Jackie said. “The Butterfly Collective takes domestic violence survivors out of their bad environment and helps them as they build a new life. It is that bridge to safety.”
The donations are one way that Meijer stores and their team members support their neighbors, truly living the company’s purpose of enriching lives in the communities it serves.
“We have some team members who are very involved locally,” said Kimberly Tillman, Store Director of the Warren Meijer. “It's very rewarding to be able to help our neighbors and invest in the communities we serve.”
Volunteer-driven
Donations received by The Butterfly Collective are used to directly benefit survivors. The organization is able to keep its overhead costs very low because the work is done by volunteers.
Lynne, a domestic violence survivor, founded the organization, which became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2020.
“All of the women on our board are survivors, except one who lost a cousin to domestic violence last year,” Lynne said. “To my knowledge, we are the only organization in Macomb County and Oakland County that does what we do. There are shelters, but there's nothing else to help them once they get out of a shelter.”
As part of her recovery, Lynne began working with another organization that gathered purses filled with emergency supplies to give to domestic violence survivors, who often leave their homes with few items.
“While supporting them, I discovered this missing piece needed to help more domestic violence survivors, and God put it in my heart to start The Butterfly Collective.”