To honor this Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Cerritos College had a donation drive for survivors and victims of domestic abuse.

The donation drive is being held in Falcon’s Nest/Game Room from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Oct. 3-31.

Some products that can be donated are Shampoos, Conditioners, Deodorants, Feminine hygiene products, Body Wash/Soap, Toothpaste, Shave Gel and Razors.

Inside the Game Room, there is an interactive art installation called “Walk A Mile in My Shoes” that displays survivor stories and homelessness statistics that individuals who have experienced domestic violence are impacted by.

In the art installation, there are shoes along with written cards where survivors shared their stories dealing with domestic violence.

Guadalupe Trinidad, a clerk at Falcon’s Nest, said, “I think this donation drive is a great way to raise awareness because there are a lot of people that do need this help and this allows people to know that there is someone who wants to help.”

“For me, it was hard to admit that I needed help and I was embarrassed by it,” Trinidad said as she shares her story, “I had the support but I was just embarrassed to admit that I needed it. I began to blame myself and I didn’t want to disappoint my parents.”

“People should be open to receive help so that they don’t go down the wrong path,” Trinidad said.

Angel Gray, a campus victims advocate, said, that the donation drive’s goal is to bring awareness, “to the fact that a significant portion of individuals that experience homelessness are in that situation because of the experiences they have with domestic abuse.”

“That was the inspiration for the whole art installation we have in the game room,” Gray added.

October is a month when individuals unite and work on raising awareness for domestic violence issues.

In the art instillation, some of the statistics included the following:

One in four women and one in seven men will experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

Among mothers with children experiencing homelessness, more than 80% had previously experienced domestic violence.

It is the 3rd leading cause of homelessness among families.

“We’ve hosted multiple events every domestic violence awareness month and we will continue to do so,” Gray said.

To receive help with domestic violence issues, people can contact Gray at Cerritos College or the Title IX office, which is another resource on campus for people dealing with any type of domestic violence or sexual harassment.