CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A north suburban legal aid clinic has developed a discreet way for victims of domestic abuse to escape their situation.
The North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic conducts an online cooking class once a month where a chef teaches people how to make banana bread. But the lesson is interspersed with information about legal aid and other resources available to domestic abuse victims.
Rebecca Weininger, director of the domestic violence law practice at North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, said the chefs believe in their mission of helping people find a way out of an abusive relationship without tipping off the partner, who might be monitoring that person's online and social media activity.
"The chefs that host our cooking demonstrations are people that understand the value of saving these lives and the trust that they have in the clinic," Weininger told WBBM Newsradio.
A number of domestic abuse organizations around the country have come up with ways for victims to discreetly seek help. Weininger said she believes this is the only cooking class in the country.
"I know there's a lot of other creativity going on in a lot of other legal aid clinics across the country, but I don't know of any other efforts that look like the website or look like the cooking demonstrations," Weininger said.
The effort started during the COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home order in 2020 and continued after most restrictions came to an end.
The website is https://nslegalaid.org/events/banana-bread-live/
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