Elsie Women’s Refuge provides a safe haven for women (and their children) who are escaping domestic violence. It then seeks to secure more permanent accommodation for them. Usually the women and children arrive with little, if anything, more than the clothes they are wearing. They are constantly in need of women’s and children’s clothes and household items to use in the refuge and to give to the women as they attempt to establish their new lives. 

The refuge and the residents need good quality items. If you bemoan the lack of storage space in your home, why not use this as an opportunity to “declutter your life”. If you feel like buying some new items, so much the better. If you have contacts through work or elsewhere you can inveigle to donate items, fabulous. If you can secure gift vouchers feel free to send them along. 

You may be able to get creative and put together “starter packs”, for example:

•    kitchen: tea towels, glasses, crockery, cutlery, utensils, saucepans, storage containers (staple food such as tea, coffee, salt, pepper etc) 
•    bathroom: face washer, towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, brush, comb, toothbrushes, toothpaste
•    bedroom: doona cover, doona, sheets, pillowcases, pillow, alarm clock
•    school: pencil case, textas, pencils, rubber, glue, paper, tissues, lunch box, drink bottle.

Kalinda Cobby is taking up the collection of items – you can send them to her work address which is:

Kalinda Cobby, Partner
Hicksons Lawyers
Level 32, 2 Park St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

or contact Kalinda on T +61 2 9293 5401 F +61 2 9293 5201 to arrange collection.