Smoky cold filled the air as Yolanda and Wayland Pierson drove their Pierson & Sons dump truck across the metro on Sunday, picking up donated comforters, bedding sets and pillows throughout town.

On Monday, they’ll truck it all to the domestic violence shelter at the Harriet Tubman Center in Maplewood as part of a grassroots day of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.

The effort began a few days prior with a call to action from local entrepreneur Sheletta Brundidge.

“She put a call out a couple of days ago asking for Black women to come together on MLK Day for a day of service and for each of us to bring a bedding set and two pillows,” Yolanda Pierson shared.

On her website, Brundidge posted Monday’s event as an open invite for others hoping to donate with the group she organized the day of.

Over the weekend leading up to the day of service, Yolanda took the call to action a step further.

“So I said I was gonna fill my husband’s dump truck up with pillows and blankets, and I asked for 40 of our friends to join us and bring one {comforter} and two pillows, and it’s really been a phenomenal opportunity for us to give back to the community, especially the Tubman Center,” she shared.

“I roped my husband in with his business. You know, I didn’t even ask if he had work on Monday. I just said, ‘Yeah, we’ll fill the dump truck up.'”

Back at the Piersons’ home in Blaine, the doorbell rang a few times while 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS was present on Sunday. Each time, Yolanda opened it to find a friend there to add to the piles of donations that had “overrun” multiple rooms.

“It started with ten comforter sets, and now we’re at 70. It keeps growing,” Yolanda said.

All of the donations are brand new, she added.

For Yolanda, the cause is personal after losing her goddaughter, Anaja, to domestic violence. She was 18 years old when she was killed by a boyfriend, Yolanda said.

“It was just really a heartbreaking moment for us. You know, you send your kids off to college, and the world’s ahead of them, and then just five months after she left for college, someone murders her. And so it really has an impact on us,” she shared.

According to the latest data from the non-profit Violence Free Minnesota, domestic violence homicides hit a record high in 2023 in Minnesota.

“We’re all just, we’re stunned about 2023 numbers,” said Tubman’s director of communications and public policy Heather Petri.

“Imagine one day you have a small window to leave a violent home, and all you can take is what’s on your back or what you can grab in a moment’s notice.”

The Tubman Center serves 17-18,000 people annually, and the need keeps growing, Petri said.

“If you think about MLK’s legacy, you think about the work that Black women have been doing for hundreds and hundreds of years,” Yolanda said.

“You know, I think it’s just our time. It’s my generation’s time to jump in feet first and just spearhead it.”

For more on Monday’s event, head to Brundidge’s website.

The Tubman Center has a list of requested donation items and monetary donation instructions on its website.