Women fleeing from domestic violence often don’t have the chance to take items with them when forced to leave their homes.
Members of St Mary MacKillop College’s Social Justice Committee wanted to help make Christmas a little brighter for women who need help in Swan Hill.
Committee members came up with the ‘Love is in the Bag’ initiative and asked all staff and students to donate a good quality handbag that they no longer used.
They also asked them to donate items such as shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and brush, body wash, chap stick, sanitary products, sunscreen, deodorant and a gift to fill the bags with.
The committee then donated 20 full handbags to Mallee Domestic Violence Service (MDV) and St Vincent’s Swan Hill branches, who will pass them onto women in Swan Hill who need them most.
St Mary MacKillop student counsellor and committee member Josie Rovere said the committee wanted to focus on women’s needs.
“A lot of the charity campaigns around Christmas time are focused on children and we felt as though women were being left out,” she said.
“We also wanted to keep the items we’ve donated in Swan Hill. Ten bags went to (the) Mallee Domestic Violence Service and 10 bags to St Vincent’s.”
There are plans to expand the initiative next year to produce more bags and involve more people.
“I was surprised by how much of a response we received from the students and staff so we will absolutely will do it again next year,” Ms Rovere said.
“Next year we’re hoping to get other schools in Swan Hill involved as well so we can fill more bags.”
To read more about this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (December 7).
