A free turkey dinner can do more than save Thanksgiving. For a family that has escaped domestic violence, it can fuel independence.

A 7-year-old girl who spent 10 months in the Bexar County Battered Women and Children’s Shelter had a quick answer when asked about Thanksgiving: “My favorite thing is having like a nice time with my family.”

She was giddy with excitement, helping her grandmother carry a bag full of Thanksgiving food to the car.

The girl lost her mother to domestic violence, and her grandmother took her and her sisters to the shelter, which Family Violence Prevention Services runs.

“I felt safe there a lot. I felt calm,” the girl said.

“Sometimes when we go by there, they say, ‘Can’t we go back?’” her grandma said with a laugh, recalling how much they loved the shelter.

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