Parkes and Forbes businesses are pitching in to assist women and girls experiencing poverty or homelessness by helping to collect personal hygiene products.
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It’s all part of the bi-annual Share the Dignity Drive, which the two towns have been actively participating in for the last two years.
On any given night, more than 45,000 Australian women are homeless and sadly this number is constantly rising.
One of the biggest issues faced by these displaced women, is the fact that they don’t have access to safe, hygienic sanitary products.
Share the Dignity is a charity organisation that seeks to provide the basic essentials for women and girls in crisis by sending the call out for unopened packets of pads, tampons and personal hygiene products to distribute to women nationwide.
A number of Parkes businesses and one business in Forbes have put up their hands to register as collection points for donations.
They are:
- Parkes Early Childhood Centre - Armstrong Street, Parkes.
- Pink Orchid Cafe/Florist - 18 Bushman Street, Parkes.
- Parkes Champion Post - 7 Court Street, Parkes.
- Ron Dunford Chemist - 280 Clarinda Street, Parkes.
- Life Pharmacy - Metro Plaza, Parkes.
- Charisma Hair Design - 253 Clarinda Street, Parkes.
- Joblink Plus, 4 Templar Street, Forbes.
All donations stay in the local area and are donated to places like the CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes, Women’s Refuge in Forbes and the Cowra Neighbourhood Centre.
The appeal will run until the end of August.
Charity founder Rochelle Courtenay said when people are donating sanitary products to Share the Dignity, they’re donating much more than pads and tampons.
“You’re giving a woman experiencing homelessness or financial crisis the essentials, so she doesn’t need to choose between food and dignity,” she said.
“Next time you’re doing your shopping, keep in mind: one box for me, one box for her.”
The biannual collection drive is on during April and August, with distribution to registered charities taking place in May and September.
