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NNEDV’s “PPE Pop-Up Shop” For Domestic Violence Organizations Gives Frontline Advocates Access to Desperately-Needed Safety Supplies

September 17, 2020

The National Network to End Domestic Violence Partners with Overture Promotions to Create Temporary Online Storefront for Domestic Violence Organizations to Purchase Hard-to-Find Personal Protective Equipment during the COVID-19 Pandemic 

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) heard from many local domestic and sexual violence programs and coalitions about the urgent — and growing — need for personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies like hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and masks. Many frontline advocates faced significant challenges in finding adequate supplies in stores. 

Advocates working in shelters and local programs are on the front lines of any crisis, providing safe spaces, care, resources, and hope to survivors and their children. With the pandemic introducing new and significant unforeseen costs, straining already-shoestring budgets, advocates needed help.

NNEDV partnered with Overture, a woman-owned promotional product agency, to determine the immediate needs and purchasing capacities for domestic and sexual violence organizations nationwide. The results of this preliminary survey were staggering: in just three weeks, more than 800 organizations estimated that they would need to purchase more than 165,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, 73,000 packages of disinfectant wipes, and 808,000 masks to cover their needs for approximately six months.

With this demand in mind, Overture launched NNEDV’s “PPE Online Pop-Up Shop” in June to sell PPE produced specifically for domestic and sexual violence organizations. NNEDV encouraged shoppers to buy in bulk, in order to keep prices low and products accessible. By the time the shop closed on July 1, the online PPE store was able to bulk order products for more than 1,200 organizations and individuals—including more than 1.1 million masks, 146,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, and 122,000 packages of disinfectant wipes.

“Creating an online pop-up shop allowed local organizations to get the supplies they needed during this incredibly difficult time,” said Deborah J. Vagins, NNEDV President and CEO. “This national organizing effort meant that NNEDV was able to leverage the field’s collective buying power to access vital supplies at reasonable rates. Our partners at Overture were able to shoulder the burden of sourcing and shipping supplies, while local organizations, advocates, and staffers were able to quickly and easily order the supplies they needed.”

Crises like a global pandemic and domestic violence seem insurmountable when you face the problem alone. NNEDV is fortunate to be in solidarity with a community of individuals, advocates, leaders, and organizations that make working toward our mission possible. If you believe, like NNEDV does, that ending domestic violence is critical to building a more equitable world, join our community today: