The Placemat Project, an ongoing project of United Neighbors of Fall River, in Fall River,
Massachusetts, a Community Connections site (see page 13 for a description of the Community
Connections project), produced 225,000 placemats and distributed them to local restaurants,
community centers, and factory lunchrooms to inform residents about domestic violence and where
to get help. “I got tired of reading the same zodiac sign placemat every time we went to our local
Chinese restaurant,” says Kim Chouinard, the founder of United Neighbors. “I thought, if I read these
horoscopes over and over again, people will do the same thing if the message is about domestic
violence.” The Placemat Project is an example of collaborating with community businesses to educate
the general public in a nonthreatening way that is likely to reach families who don’t recognize the
problem or who experience it personally but wouldn’t actively seek help.