Donation Drive for Battered Mothers Off to Slow Start : Giving: Despite the crowds at the eight malls sponsoring the event, few shoppers seem to notice. Sponsors say they’re hopeful subsequent drives will be more successful.

It was the busiest shopping day of the year--malls stuffed to the gills with buyers and browsers. But few shoppers seemed to notice the first “Mothers March” donation drive for battered women’s shelters held in eight malls throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The event was the creation of J.J. Meier, a mall publicist and Los Alamitos mother who developed it in two stages. First, Meier said, her sixth-grade daughter suggested a mother-daughter event in the spirit of October’s “Million Man March” in Washington. Then, reflecting on the O.J. Simpson trial and its allegations of domestic abuse, Meier decided to organize a drive for battered women.

Supporters hoped to parlay the large shopping crowds into hundreds of generous donations. But their cause was largely missed.

At the Lakewood Mall, a small black-and-white sign with a frowning teddy bear signaled the spot where a booth was set up, right where Santa Claus had held children on his lap days before. Another sign near the booth detailed the 15 myths of domestic abuse, like: “She deserves to be hit because she nags too much” and “Domestic abuse is a problem among low-income or poorly educated people.”

Nearly 30 presents, mainly practical donations such as disposable diapers and clothing, and one giant stuffed toy reindeer donated by Montgomery Ward, were collected at the mall for the Su Casa Family Crisis and Support Center. But most shoppers seemed to stop at the display for a break rather than to donate gifts.

“I was waiting for [my wife] when I saw the [event] sign,” said Jerry Chavez . “But this is great. It is about time somebody did something about [domestic abuse]. For the last nine months we have seen examples” from the Simpson trial.

In the Panorama Mall in the East San Fernando Valley community of Panorama City, bargain hunters and gift returners overlooked the green plywood bin for donations.

Van Nuys resident Jo Ann Gallachat proudly spoke of her donations to her church and to street people, but said she had never heard of this drive.

Neither had Tony Lozano of Sylmar. “I had no idea,” Lozano said. “If I would have known about it, I probably would have given something.”

Some shoppers were inspired to buy donation items after spotting the event signs.

At Westminster Mall in Orange County, shoppers donated teddy bears, Barbie dolls, diapers, toy cars and clothes to the Human Options shelter for abused women and their children.

After reading a sign about the event, Juan Castro and Christie Carroll dropped off a sweater.

“After we read the sign, we went to Robinsons/May and bought the sweater,” said Castro, who lives in Westminster. “We know a lot of people need help, so we wanted to do something. It’s nice to give, especially around this time of the year.”

Organizers said they plan to meet in mid-January to plan events for next year.

“It is OK for things to start out small and get bigger over time,” said Leah Aldridge, program director of the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women, a nonprofit organization. “Whenever you have heightened or raised awareness--that is a measure of success.”