Kare Kits donation drive for Albany Women's Centre more important than ever thanks to cost of living
Cost of living increases and an uptick of women fleeing family violence means the donation drive to stock Albany's women's refuge with basic toiletries and clothing is more important than ever, organisers say.
Albany Soroptomists and Anglicare WA are asking the community to give all they can to the 2025 Kare Kits Donation Drive to provide women and children housed at Albany Women's Centre with practical items to help them while they get back on their feet.
AWC manager Joanna Fictoor said the drive, running from May to June, was more important than ever this year given the increase in women and children of all ages living at the crisis accommodation facility.
'With the housing and cost-of-living crisis, there is a significant increase in families living together,' she said.
'We are seeing three generations of families present for accommodation.
'The centre continues to operate at capacity, providing support and accommodation to 80 women and children, on average, every six months.'
Now in its ninth year, the drive collects items for the drawstring bags that each woman at the centre can receive, containing essentials like shampoo, toothbrushes and clothing.
Albany Soroptimists project co-ordinator Janet McArtney said people could support the drive in myriad ways.
'Financial donations or vouchers/cards for department stores and supermarkets are most practical as they can be used to buy school uniforms, general clothing, and shoes to fit the family in need or help to purchase furniture and whitegoods for women ready to move into permanent accommodation,' she said.
'We also need donations of boys' and girls' clothing in new condition and school items such as backpacks, lunchboxes, drink bottles and pencil cases filled with stationery.
'Full-sized toiletry items such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash and deodorant are also welcome.'
'Most pharmacies in Albany have gratefully shown their support for the donation drive by committing to donate excess stock throughout the six-week fundraiser.'
Donations are collected from more than 45 businesses, schools and organisations across the Great Southern.
Charmaine Trundle, from Albany real estate agency Wellington and Reeves, said she and her colleagues participated as a collection point every year and could see the need through their work.
'A lot of our teams see people first-hand, doing it tough, especially our property managers dealing with renters,' she said.
'So just that little thing of being able to give something that shows them the community cares and they're not alone and just left to their own devices is really the main thing.'
Collection point locations and a portal for tax-deductible monetary donations can be found at
karekits.raisely.com
.
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