In honour of International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme, Accelerate Action, we have partnered with an amazing charity, Friends With Dignity. This women-led organisation is volunteer based and not-for-profit, they support domestic violence victim-survivors to rebuild their lives with purpose, dignity and hope.
One of the incredible programs that Friends With Dignity runs is the Sanctuary Program, which transforms houses into homes for people who have escaped violence to start their new journey with dignity and free from abuse. Their dedicated volunteers work hard to create a sanctuary, using items donated by community supporters - household and personal care items, gift cards and financial donations.
We wanted to partner with an organisation that is at the forefront of change, and allows us the opportunity to help make a difference in the community. We chose to contribute to the Friends With Dignity Sanctuary Program and involved the entire VRG GRL team in the process.
Our HQ team spent a morning packing 100 individual care packages containing a range of beautiful self-care products and a VRG GRL Gift Card. Our Warehouse team then spent a morning filling a truck with essential items needed to fill a home, including TV’s, microwaves, entertainment units, coffee tables, irons, vacuum cleaners, toasters and kettles… just to name a few. Together we then hand delivered the care packages and truck full of goods to the Friends With Dignity warehouse.
So many wonderful Australian brands jumped onboard to donate products to help us fill the care packages. We would like to say a special thank you to SSAINT, Nak Hair, Femme, Who Is Elijah, Mother SPF, Lui Body, Noosa Basics, Bella Bronze, Slip, Zero Co, Sheet Society, Funday Sweets, Naked Harvest, Eye Of Horus, Moxie, Brillo Beauty, Natio and HiSmile.
Together we were able to create incredible packages that we hope provide a meaningful and uplifting experience for these women as they take action to rebuild their lives.
It was a truly heart-warming experience for the entire VRG GRL team to be involved in such an important initiative, contributing to the empowerment and support of domestic violence survivors through the Friends With Dignity's Sanctuary Program. We look forward to continuing our support of this incredible cause throughout 2025 and beyond.
MORE ABOUT FRIENDS WITH DIGNITY
Friends With Dignity work on a referral basis only, through registered referring agencies who contact them with a request. The referring agency tells them a little about the family - how many people will be living in the home, how old they are, if there are any special requests which then helps Friends with Dignity personalise their sanctuary.
The charity was founded by Manuela Whitford over 10 years ago, who proudly leads, and jointly works with, equally passionate volunteers across Australia to make a difference in the lives of so many. We were able to take a moment to speak to Manuela, and also Tracey Wickham the National Fundraiser and Community Engagements Manager. We learnt more about what inspired Manuela to start Friends With Dignity, a memorable moment that made an impact on someone’s life, what you can do if you want to get involved, and how a donation like VRG GRL’s can help Friends With Dignity. You can hear all of this and more here:
For more insight into Friends With Dignity, the amazing work they do and how you can contribute to such a wonderful cause, visit https://www.friendswithdignity.org.au/about-us/.
