Students Spend Weekend Sprucing Up Domestic Violence Shelter

NEW TAMPA, FL — More than two dozen college-age students from the New Tampa Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints spent their Saturday recently painting the exterior of The Spring of Tampa Bay.

The facility offers temporary shelter for individuals and families escaping from domestic violence.

The shelter was in need of a fresh coat of paint. It's been 10 years since the building was last painted. It received work from the students, who were armed with brushes, rollers and more than 75 gallons of donated paint from Home Depot.

“We are thankful these young people could help us with an overdue project of painting the entire exterior of our shelter," said Mindy Murphy, president & CEO of The Spring. "At The Spring of Tampa Bay, our goal is to create a home life environment and that starts with the first impression, which is the exterior of our building. Painting our exterior helps the survivors know the community cares.”

“It’s been hard to find places to physically help out during the pandemic as many have been remote opportunities. I was excited to jump on this opportunity to help,” said law student Ryan Cook.

Helping out in this service project was especially meaningful for 19-year-old Larissa Ribeiro, who knew former classmates in high school who were victims of domestic violence.

“I am thankful I could help serve. It’s great to have a community that helps people going through things like this,” said Ribeiro.

The volunteer hours and donated paint will help ease financial strain of caring for the exterior of The Spring of Tampa Bay, allowing the nonprofit to focus on helping families heal and rebuild.

The members of the Church of Jesus Christ feel a responsibility to lift those in need during these trying times, said Church of Jesus Christ President Patrick Thornton, who oversees several congregations in the Tampa Bay area with nearly 25,000 members.

“We seek out opportunities to love and care for others as Christ did and strive to serve those in our communities during all times of need,” Thornton said.