Great Southern bags record number of donations to help women and girls in need

Great Southern locals have dug deep to help women and girls in crisis this Christmas, donating a record number of bags filled with essential products to Share the Dignity’s latest drive.

The women’s charity wrapped up its annual nationwide “It’s in the Bag” campaign last week, which called on the community to support those doing it tough ahead of the festive season.

More than 250 bags were donated, filled to the brim with basic hygiene essentials and special items to brighten the lives of women, mothers and teenagers facing homelessness, period poverty or domestic violence.

The bags, donated by Albany and Katanning residents, will be distributed among six local community organisations that have requested support.

Big givers this year included Woolworths Brooks Garden and the Inner Wheel Albany ladies group who collected 50 handbags of essentials.

Albany Share the Dignity volunteer Alison Holmes said she was blown away by this year’s generosity.

She dropped 70 bags at Foodbank Albany yesterday.

“People have just been so generous even donating brand-new leather handbags filled with items and the fact that the community organisations are getting involved is really great,” she said.

With only two Great Southern Share the Dignity volunteers, Ms Holmes encouraged more locals to join in next year’s drives.

“By getting involved in the community you get to meet a lot of other people and you get to understand what is happening in your community,” she said.

“Quite often when women are fleeing domestic violence they have to leave with nothing.

“It is all about dignity and giving people the things that most of us take for granted but not all of us have.”

Volunteer at sharethedignity.org.au.