See A Need Fill A Need: Tala's Closet

Send us a text

Dignity arrives in unexpected forms—sometimes as a toothbrush, sometimes as a pair of socks, sometimes as a space that says "you're seen and you're not alone." Today, I'm taking you on a journey that's both heartbreaking and hopeful: the creation of Tala's Closet, a free resource center for domestic violence survivors.

Tala Smith was brilliant, brave, and full of promise before domestic violence stole her future. Her mother Connie shared that Tala lived by the motto "see a need, fill a need"—words that crystallized into a vision for creating something meaningful from unimaginable loss. When survivors flee abuse, they often leave everything behind. The practical necessities—hygiene products, clothing, diapers, formula—become overwhelming obstacles to independence. Tala's Closet removes those barriers by providing essentials with no questions asked, no judgment passed.

The powerful synchronicity of timing cannot be overlooked. Days before our grand opening, a domestic violence homicide occurred just streets away from Tala's Closet. This devastating reminder of why our work matters has only strengthened our resolve. We're not just opening a closet; we're creating sacred space where dignity is restored, where survivors know they're believed, and where a community stands ready to help them rebuild. For the woman sleeping in her car tonight, for the mother who left with nothing but her children, for anyone wondering if escape is possible—we're building something different. We're continuing Tala's legacy by seeing needs and filling them, one toothbrush, one clean shirt, one act of compassion at a time. Check the show notes to learn how you can support this mission and help transform lives in your own community.

https://watersedgebuckeyelake.com/talas_closet

Amazon wishlist coming soon!

Looking for ways to give back or help out? Give Waters Edge Community Center a follow on Facebook and send them a message. Their dedicated volunteers will be in touch with you soon. https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1FwvsmLYRk/

National Domestic Violence Hotline: [phone] OR text begin to 88788

Give me a call! 1-844-TELLDTS

Come join our community of survivors who are looking to meet someone just like you! See the behind the scenes work that goes into the sisterhood non-profit business, discuss DTS episodes, and of course find your survivor sister.

🔗 Follow Along:

• TikTok: @thedvsurvivor
• Instagram: @thedvsurvivorsisterhood
• Join the Sisterhood! The Survivor Sisterhood

Ready to share your story? Send me an email with the main talking points of your experience and I'll reach out to book an interview.

[e-mail]

Give DTS a 5 star rating! It helps this podcast reach other victims and survivors who NEED these stories! Help us find each other, help us heal, and help us find safety. Love you, mean it.

All sound and music courtesy of Epidemic Sound

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Hey girl, welcome back to Dismissed True Stories.
And if this is your first timelistening to DTS, I'm Elissa In
this podcast.
It's a space for survivors, bysurvivors.
We tell the stories that somepeople would rather silence.
We give survivors a platform toshare their stories, while

(00:37):
leaving advice for victims whoare still stuck, to be able to
escape too.
Not only that, I break in withsidebar commentary that helps
you decode your own experienceof abuse in real time.
We hold space, we laugh, we cryand sometimes we heal together

(00:57):
too.
Okay, full transparency.
I'm recording this episode in mychildhood bedroom at my
parents' house in Ohio.
I've got my travel mic with me,so if I sound a little
different, that's why.
But I couldn't wait until I gotback home to share this,

(01:18):
because this episode this one isabout Tala.
This one is about Tala.
Now, before we dive in, I justwant to say a very quick and
huge thank you.
Because of you, this podcast isnow in the top 10% worldwide

(01:42):
and we've officially unlockedmonetization.
And while I am so proud of thatand so grateful, it feels right
to pause the celebration thisweek, because this week isn't
about me.
This week is about Tala.

(02:02):
I've talked about her here andthere in other episodes here on
DTS, but I just want to take amoment to explain to you who she
is.
Her name is Tala Smith.
She was soft and smart andbrilliant and brave, and she was

(02:25):
in love.
She was planning her future,and then her story was
interrupted by domestic violence.
But it's not over Not if wetell it, not if we act on it.
And I didn't know Tala when shewas alive, but I know her now.

(02:47):
I've spent hours listening toher mother, connie, share the
kind of memories that make yourheart both break and expand at
the same time.
Connie has become family to me.
Her strength, her softness, theway that she's walked through

(03:08):
grief and still somehow chooseslove it's changed me.
So when Connie and I weretalking, we started talking back
in February about herdaughter's life, her daughter's
legacy.
Connie had shared with me thatTala lived by a motto see a need

(03:33):
, fill a need.
So to me there was no questionthat my vision of starting a
free store for domestic violencevictims and survivors closet
naming it after Tala, with themotto of see a need, fill a need

(04:24):
, is.
It's exactly what I'm supposedto be doing at this point in my
life, and so I contacted Connieand I asked her permission and,
and she was so touched and shesaid yes immediately.
And, um, I actually get to meetConnie in person for the first

(04:44):
time tomorrow and I, just, Ican't wait.
I can't wait to finally hug her.
I can't wait to see her facewhen she sees the closet for the
first time.
I, just, I cannot wait to giveher, just, I cannot wait to give

(05:22):
her just the smallest amount ofpeace in this painful journey
that she's been living.
All right, here we go, we aredriving over into the closet for
the.

(06:03):
Oh my goodness, this is amazing.
Oh my gosh, some of these stillhave tags on them.
Some of the clothes.
You guys did such an amazingjob.
I didn't see the girls boxeswow, you can't see, um, what I'm

(06:26):
talking about.
But there is women's clothing onone side.
There's kids clothing.
On the other side, there'sshoes, there's underwear,
there's shorts shorts I'mlooking at laundry detergent

(06:55):
bags and boxes of stuffedanimals.
A shoe rack.
There's purses on here.
Right here on the back wall,there's hygiene products
toothbrushes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toothpaste, makeup,
diapers, formula Wow, this isamazing.
Baby stuff this is all babies.
Baby blankets oh my goodness.

(07:19):
There's toys on the bottom,baby toys.
Oh, my God, boys and girls.
I have no girls yet, no girlbaby, anything.
Yeah, okay, that's zero to 12months.
Wow, wow, this is amazing.

(07:41):
Thank you, you're welcome.
You're welcome.
This was a lot of work.
Oh, I didn't even see there'slike, wow, this is some

(08:01):
overspoken you.
Oh, my gosh, okay, so we canjust like pull from this.
Yeah, it passed inspection.
Yeah, thank you, I breath away.

(08:24):
Seeing Tala's name on the door,seeing the closet in its
physical form for the first time, I had a moment where I just,
you know, I just kind of let itall sink in.
This closet isn't just a spacethat's filled with essentials

(08:54):
like toothbrushes, tampons,diapers and clothing.
It's a sacred space.
It says you matter, you're seenand you're not alone.
And the timing of it just a fewstreets down from Tal's closet,
there was a domestic violence,homicide over this past weekend,

(09:17):
right here, right here wherethis closet is opening, in the
same community, in the samecommunity, and I can't begin to
explain how that felt.
I just felt such a heavyresponsibility as the new DV

(09:44):
resource in this town to respond, and so we will.
I will be attending afundraiser on Friday night for
the life that was lost.
And on Saturday, at TALA'sgrand opening, we are also
hosting a small vigil.
And it's weird, I think, for meto say, but it does seem that

(10:14):
Tala's Closet is arriving rightat the exact moment when it's
needed the most.
And while Tala's Closet isn't asolution to everything, it is a
start, it's a symbol, it's asafe place where survivors can

(10:36):
come and get what they need, noquestions asked, no judgment,
just support.
It's toothbrushes and body washand pads and formula and socks.
But more than that, it'sdignity.
It's hope for the womansleeping in her car, for the mom

(11:04):
who just left with nothing, forthe teen who just left with
nothing, for the teen whodoesn't know where to turn.
The closet says we see you, webelieve you and we're building

(11:25):
something different.
Now and before we close, I wantto take a moment to say thank
you so much to every singleperson and business who helped
bring tala's closet to life,whether you donated products,
time, money, energy or just love.

(11:49):
This closet exists because ofyou.
Your names will be honored andyour hearts remembered.
All right, let me find my listof sponsors because I want to
read them to you.
Bruce Westfall of Big KahunaLaundromat in Newark, ohio,

(12:11):
buckeye Lake, dental, jacksonAnnes, junction City Elementary.
Kayla Newlin, andrea Crego, sueStoll, newark, manicor, tammy

(12:32):
Flinster, vicki Christensen,mid-ohio Food Pantry, vicki
Justice, holy Family Church,soup Kitchen, thornville Family
Medical Center, jackson Town,united Methodist Church, waters
Edge Community Center, susanNixon, the Lighthouse in

(12:57):
Fairfield County, new BeginningsIn Transition, savannah
Matthews, mayor Goodman,everyone who cleaned out their

(13:17):
closets to donate, all thevolunteers who put in the work
to make this happen and who willcontinue to run the closet.
My parents.
Thank you for learning aboutdomestic violence, thank you for
supporting my vision and thankyou for helping make it a
reality.
And, last but not least, connieTolbert, thank you for trusting
me with your daughter's story.
Thank you, bratalla.

(13:40):
If this episode moved you,please, please, do me a favor
and share it, post it, text it,leave a review, rate it five
stars, because those things helpthis podcast reach the people
who need it most.
And if you want to help supportTal's Closet, check the show

(14:10):
notes.
We've got ways that you can getinvolved, from donations to
supplies to volunteering.
Next week I'll be back withregular scheduled programming.
More survivor stories, moredecoding your own experience in
real time time.

(14:42):
Tala's story will be comingsoon.
Save lives, because we are notjust surviving.
We together are buildingsomething sacred.
We're building it for her andwe're building it for us.
And remember the world is abetter place because you are in

(15:10):
it.