Domestic violence is a very real problem, and often people who are being abused at home feel like they don’t have the means to escape their situations. Until now.
In 1997, two brothers in California decided to start their own moving company. Aaron and Evan Steed were both high school athletes at the time, and they were having trouble finding part time jobs that would fit in with their busy schedules.
They needed to earn money to put themselves through college, and after a friend’s dad paid them to help the family move, the brothers decided to found “Meathead Movers.”
Meathead Movers
They had no idea then, that their side-business would eventually grow to become one of the biggest moving businesses in California — as well as a champion in the movement to help domestic violence victims free themselves from the chains of their situations.
Not long after Aaron and Evan established their business, they started getting occasional calls from people who revealed they were being abused at home. These desperate people had no money and little hope of getting out of their abusive relationships, but the young men knew they had to help.
The brothers decided then and there that if someone called them and said they needed help getting out of a violent home situation, they would do it for free. No questions asked.
“Since then, we’ve been offering free services to victims of domestic violence in every market we serve,” Evan said.
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The brothers recall how one woman called them many years ago. She explained that she was being beaten almost daily by her ex-boyfriend, and he was threatening to hurt her daughter and grandchild, with whom she lived.
So Meathead Movers showed up and moved the woman, her daughter and her grandchild out of the home. But then they went a step further by providing them with some beds and other furniture to set up their new apartment. They even brought the women a potted plant to welcome them home.
After that, word got out, and the men continually acted out their promise of never turning away a victim in need.
On occasion, the men would be in the middle of moving a victim when an angry abuser would come home. This is when the movers’ considerable brawn came into play. Would you mess with these guys?
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The brothers are passionate about helping people improve their lives.
“I had a client come up to me and say, ‘Had I known you would have moved me out of there, I would have gotten out of hell years ago.'”
They’ve now started their own movement, #MoveToEndDV, which challenges other small business owners to think about how their products and services can help victims too.
This help could come in many forms, all designed to help those who are trying to flee an abusive situation, are in transitional living, or who are trying to rebuild their lives after abuse.
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“We want people to know that there’s an army of businesses that are rallying together that are willing to embrace victims of domestic violence in their community. That takes all the power away from the abusers.”
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Meathead Movers are currently partnered with more than 150 businesses, with more pledges coming in every day.
What an incredible thing for this company to do! Hopefully even more businesses will join together to help others in need. Please share this story to inspire everyone to always look for the good they can do in the world.
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