Small dignities make a difference

ANDREA Whimpenny was seeking meaningful volunteer work when she came across women’s charity Share the Dignity.

When she read about the organisation and its founder, Rochelle Courtenay, she realised it was the most worthwhile charity she wanted to work with.

“I was distraught at the thought of homeless and disadvantaged women and girls not having access to pads, tampons and personal hygiene products,” Ms Whimpenny said.

Share the Dignity was born when Ms Courtenay learned of homeless women going without basic sanitary items and decided the question was not ‘why is no one doing anything’ but rather ‘what’s stopping me from doing something?’

She took matters into her own hands, collecting sanitary items within her local community and distributing to local shelters in 2015.

As a result, a simple idea of giving dignity to women, Share the Dignity has grown into a national charity with over 3000 volunteers Australia wide.

Ms Whimpenny has been Regional Queen of the Grampians/Pyrenees area for the past three years doing most of her work in Ballarat, Clunes, Beaufort, Maryborough and Ballan.

“It really just means I am the team leader of the area,” she said.

She has about eight volunteers in her group who meet once a month at Bunnings in Ballarat.

Twice a year her group, and the rest of the charity, run the pads and tampons campaign in April and August. Ms Whimpenny is particularly proud of her volunteer’s efforts during the ‘It’s in the Bag’ campaign last Christmas.

The community is encouraged to fill a handbag or backpack with items that would make a woman feel special, as well as necessities, and drop it off to collection points at Bunnings.

Her group collected 985 donated bags and backpacks from the Bunnings collection point and then she picked up another 550 in areas outside Ballarat.

“We distributed 1500 bags in Ballarat last year,” she said. “We are not helping just homeless women, its women and girls in crisis or disadvantaged situations as well. The need is there and unfortunately the need is getting bigger and it’s a shame there is a need.”