COLUMBIA, TN (WSMV) -
When you make a donation, you want to know exactly where it's going. That's what a Columbia woman heading a domestic violence organization is saying after receiving calls of confusion. A second organization with the same name is calling around asking for donations, and it's leaving some area residents unsure of who they're helping.
"I got an email just today saying, 'I've been solicited by this company, and it didn't sound right,'" said Angela Slack, executive director of Hope House in Maury County. "'If it's for you, then absolutely, we want to support you. If it's not, then I'm not comfortable about this.'"
For six weeks, Slack said she's been hearing from dozens of local residents calling to complain of a "Hope House" asking for donations to be left on the curb for pickup. Slack said it's not her Hope House making those calls. She said the Maury County-based Hope House rarely solicits and doesn't ask for donations to be left on the curb for pickup.
Instead, those calls are coming from a different Hope House based out of Atlanta, GA.
Gregg Kennard, the director of the Atlanta organization, told Channel 4 he's looking to expand his organization into Tennessee.
"It's not our intention to cause any complication or confusion," said Kennard. "Hope House is a very common name, thousands of organizations use it across the country. We're going to make an adjustment very quickly. Most likely, it's going to be Hope for Domestic Violence Center so that clears our cause and gives us enough distinction with the name."
For Slack, the most important thing is for people to know exactly where their donations are going.
"It's absolutely something that has given me great concern," said Slack. "People are very giving, but they want to feel secure their donations are being used in the right place and for the organization they think it's going to be used for."
Kennard added they'll be bringing their organization into Nashville within the next three months.
He said he's taken two referrals from local domestic violence shelters but declined to name them saying he wanted to get their permission to say their names first.
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