ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996              TAG: 9602230057
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: A-1  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MARY BISHOP STAFF WRITER
NOTE: Below 

SAFE, BUT WRONG NUMBER

Sure, the folks at Home Safe Products Inc. sell face guards.

But it took them a while to figure out why battered wives were calling them from all over the country.

About 20 women - a couple of them in tears - called the Roanoke company's toll-free line Thursday in a mix-up with President Clinton's new Domestic Violence Hot Line.

Home Safe's number is 800/977-SAFE.

The Clinton hot line, launched on television Thursday morning, is 800/799-SAFE.

Home Safe Products, at 13-A Salem Ave. on the Roanoke City Market, distributes face guards for kids' baseball helmets.

"Here I am getting domestic violence calls and I sell head and facial protection!" said Jeff "Whitey" Webb, Home Safe's marketing and sales director.

He got calls from Florida, South Dakota, Michigan and Kentucky, among other places.

Eventually, workers were able to refer callers to the right number - a 24-hour hot line in Austin, Texas.

"But we're paying for a bunch of 800 calls," said Webb. "I guess I'll deduct it from my taxes."

LENGTH: Short :   37 lines