Today marks the first day of Share the Dignity’s “It’s In the Bag” campaign. From 19 November to 3 December, Australians are invited to fill an unused handbag with items that will make a woman feel special, and drop it off at any of Share the Dignity’s nominated collection points so they can be distributed to women in need.
I don’t know if my son is old enough to imagine what it’s like to go without, or to have a Christmas where he isn’t surrounded by family, delicious food and an abundance of gifts to unwrap. I want him to know that we are incredibly blessed, and it’s our duty to help those in need. So earlier this week I took Mr 4 to the shops to get some items to donate for this campaign, as well as the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child Appeal, and some asylum seeker children that a friend of ours works with. I asked him to choose the items and explained what they were for. He spent a lot of the time distracted by Paw Patrol toys, but eventually we had a basket full of items we could donate.
I donated my unused handbags when we moved house last year, but my mother-in-law kindly donated 4 of her bags, which I was busy filling up this afternoon while Mr Z napped:
It is heartbreaking to think of the women around our country who are affected by abuse, domestic violence, drugs or alcohol and, for whatever reason, have found themselves out on the streets without the essentials, let alone the lux items I take for granted. I just hope what little we’ve put together can be of use to some of them. I’m grateful to be in a position to give, and happy to have come across the campaign while I was reading Handbag Mafia the other week.
If you’ve got a handbag lying around, I encourage you to participate in the It’s In the Bag campaign. A list of ideas for items you can include is below, and you can find your nearest collection point here.
If you’re out doing your Christmas shopping, then chuck a few more items into your basket, join in and help others (especially the women who are always putting someone else before themselves!) to really feel the spirit and joy of Christmas love.
