SLO's Meathead Movers gets attention for efforts to help domestic violence victims

San Luis Obispo-based Meathead Movers is receiving a surge of attention and support this week after news went viral about its ongoing partnership with a Los Angeles-based domestic violence shelter.

Meathead Movers, founded in 1997 by brothers Aaron and Evan Steed while they were in high school, has long offered free moving services to victims of domestic violence. The company has partnered for about 15 years with the Women’s Shelter Program of San Luis Obispo County.

Since then, it has partnered with seven other shelters in Central and Southern California, including the Good Shepherd Shelter, which provides services to mothers and children who have experienced domestic abuse.

An article in LA Weekly about the partnership with Good Shepherd Shelter gained international attention.

The company has since been featured on CNN, Huffington Post, The Telegraph in London and the “Today” show, among others.

The response has prompted Aaron Steed and his brother to try to get other businesses involved. They created a pledge for business owners to share ways they can help domestic violence victims at www.meatheadmovers.com/pledge/ (it’s being promoted with the hashtag #MoveToEndDV).

“It’s striking a chord and hopefully gets a lot of people thinking about how they can give back,” he said.

Aaron Steed said the company has moved hundreds of domestic violence victims over the years, though he doesn’t track specific numbers. Overall, the company handles more than 10,000 moves per year with 350 employees in its four locations statewide.

Within the past year, he said, Meathead Movers has started offering free moving services to domestic violence victims who are moving from transitional housing to a more permanent location.

This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 1:46 PM with the headline "SLO's Meathead Movers gets attention for efforts to help domestic violence victims."