Albany donation drive launched to fill ‘Kare Kits’ for women facing family and domestic violence

Albany Women’s Centre and Albany Soroptimists have once again partnered to launch their annual donation drive to fill care kits for women and children escaping family and domestic violence.

The “Kare Kit” donation drive launched on International Women’s Day on Tuesday and will run until April 8, aiming to collect as many essential items as possible for women and children seeking help.

There are 26 businesses around the Great Southern which have volunteered to be drop-off-points for essential items such as toiletries, clothes, Woolworths or Coles vouchers, masks and sanitiser.

Albany Women’s Centre’s Chelsi Mier said the care kits were an important first step in helping women get back on their feet.

“Every women that comes in the centre gets given a care kit because they often come with nothing,” she said.

“We also give them out to about 90 per cent of the people who just drop into the centre as well.

“We tell them that the care kits come from the community so it helps them feel seen, heard and supported.”

The women’s centre provides vital assistance for women and children escaping family and domestic violence by providing crisis accommodation, 24-hour on-call support, counselling, and support groups.

Albany Soroptimists’ Janet McArtney said the donation drive helped the centre “free up cash” to continue providing its services.

“The more we can give in toiletries and other supplies to the women’s centre the less they have to buy themselves,” she said.

“That means there is more money to be used for other things such as paying for their bond to get into a house.”

The donations from the drive are sorted through and made into Kare Kits which are given to the women who come to the women’s centre.

Collection points can be found at businesses such as at Albany Carpet Court, Anglicare WA, and the Albany Public Library.