MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — Hundreds of purple pinwheels fill the lawn of Stroudsburg's Courthouse Square, 981, to be exact.
The pinwheels represent the number of people Safe Monroe helped last year.
"We've seen an increase of people reaching out, and we're continuing to see people who need our services, whether that is counseling, legal advocacy, shelter, utilizing our hotline," said Lauren Peterson, Safe Monroe Director.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Safe Monroe Director Lauren Peterson says for her staff, it's their mission every day to help survivors and educate the public about the signs of domestic violence beyond physical abuse, "People are starting to reach out and realize that financial verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse happens in domestic violence and those are the ones that are harder to prove and harder to recognize, but those are the ones that still need a lot of help and care."
Several breweries in the Poconos are supporting Safe Monroe with the annual Hops for Hope fundraiser.
Barley Creek Brewing Company near Tannersville is one of those breweries.
This month, a portion of the proceeds from its 'Brighter Days Lager' will be donated to Safe Monroe.
"We take a lot of pride in supporting different organizations in the community and really enjoy building different partnerships," said Chloe Wenton, Front House Manager, Barley Creek Brewing Co.
Safe Monroe will also hold a candlelight vigil this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Stroudsburg's courthouse square.
"We're calling it Reaching out Into the Darkness, hoping that someone who needs our services can see that light and know that someone cares about you, that wants to help you, and that you don't have to go through this alone," said Peterson.
For more details on the vigil and additional resources, click here.