The Season of Giving: Share the Dignity
This week I'm continuing my "season of giving" posts with a new (to me) campaign: Share the Dignity's "It's in the Bag" Christmas Campaign.
Share the Dignity is an Australian charity, committed to improving the lives of women and girls experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, poverty or those who are at-risk in the community. Throughout the year, Share the Dignity run a number of campaigns; from their "Dignity Drive" which provides these women with pads and tampons to "Because We Care" - an initiative where Share the Dignity cover the funeral costs of women who have been killed by violent family members or individuals.
Hello, World!
Founder of Share the Dignity, Rochelle Courtenay, started the charity when she learnt that homeless women were going without basic sanitary items during their menstrual cycle. The things we take for granted.
Instead of asking "why is this happening?" or "why aren't people helping?", Rochelle said "what's stopping me from doing something now?". It started with her local community, collecting sanitary items and distributing them to local shelters, and it grew from there - and today Share the Dignity has over 1,500 volunteers Australia wide.
How do you get involved?
There are a number of ways you can support Share the Dignity throughout the year (which you can find here) but I want to focus on one campaign that we can all get behind; The It's in the Bag campaign.
Getting involved couldn't be simpler.
You'll need:
- A preloved handbag (though I seriously recommend buying a new one - these women deserve to have something to love. It doesn't need to be flashy or fancy, useable and presentable bags are all you need. You could even pick up a few at your local Kmart if you're on a budget!)
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- A Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Soap
- Deodorant
- Sanitary Items (Pads/Tampons etc)
You can also purchase a Share the Dignity Bag Protector for $9.95 which doubles as a shopping bag or laundry bag for the lady receiving your gift - or if you're not able to buy one online, think about buying a similar bag in store for this purpose too.
Where do I drop it off?
Share the Dignity's 2017 collection runs from November 18th until December 2nd and there are hundreds of collection points around Australia. Collection points will be announced in November so be sure to check back here.
