EDITOR’S NOTE: During the coronavirus pandemic, there are people throughout the community working on the front lines. WTOP is honoring essential personnel through its Frontline Heroes campaign. Each day, WTOP chooses two nominees, awards each $100 and donates another $100 to Feed the Fight DC, a D.C.-based nonprofit supporting local restaurants, health care workers and first responders during the pandemic. Some of those honorees will be spotlighted on WTOP.com.
During the coronavirus pandemic, there are people throughout the community doing their part on the front lines.
One Maryland woman chosen as a WTOP Frontline Hero is being honored for her work with helping survivors of domestic abuse during these difficult times.
“I was actually shocked because I’ve never won anything before,” said Seteria Hollinshed, a program manager with House of Ruth, a D.C. area-based shelter and resource center for women and children who have survived domestic abuse.
Part of her job includes getting cleaning supplies and groceries for all 50 women that stay at the shelter. And shopping restrictions have made her adjust.
“Initially, people probably thought that I was trying to hoard all the supplies for myself,” Hollinshed said.
“On average, when I go to the store, I’m usually buying about 50 loaves of bread and 7 gallons of milk, and a lot of times, it’s not a problem buying those things. But now we’re in a pandemic, and there is a limit on what you can buy.”
With new limits on purchasing supplies such as meat, Clorox wipes and toilet paper, she often has to get volunteers to come with her or even ask other shoppers to help her out.
“So, I spend a lot of time in the stores and, you know, I’m bargaining with people in line, saying, ‘Hey, do you mind picking this up for me?’” Hollinshed said.
When she is unable to buy enough supplies for the shelter, she said the community has stepped up in a big way.
“We’ve also had volunteers to step up and provide meals for the ladies. We’ve had the Takoma Park community — they have been providing regular meals. We have just different volunteers coming through providing things such as hygiene products and cleaning product, a lot of things that you can’t find in the stores,” she said.
Hollinshed’s husband nominated her as a Frontline Hero, saying she works tirelessly to ensure that the women at the House of Ruth continue to receive quality service.
Know people who would be good candidates for WTOP’s Frontline Heroes award? Nominate them online, and their actions could be recognized on-air.
- See who else is a Frontline Hero
- Frontline Heroes: DC mom fields 911 calls during pandemic
- Frontline Heroes: Md. volunteer ‘devoted to the mission of feeding those in need’
- Frontline Heroes: Va. teaching aide works 3 jobs to support her family
- Frontline Heroes: Md. funeral director helps grieving families during the coronavirus pandemic
