Lynne Mowbray It’s that time of year when charity group Share the Dignity, reach out to the community to help them support vulnerable and at risk women within our community who, for whatever reason, find themselves without access to basic personal items. Share the Dignity’s ‘It’s in the bag’ campaign, helps ladies in all circumstances maintain their dignity, by providing them with a bag containing basic personal hygiene items. The community are asked to help out by providing a new or pre-loved handbag or beach bag in good condition and add the following items: Sanitary products (unopened pads or tampons), deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, tooth brush, shower gel or soap. No pharmaceuticals, food items or razors please. One lady (who wishes to remain anonymous) said that she is donating a couple of bags to this year’s campaign, because not that long ago, she found herself in this unfortunate position. “My marriage ended, and my ex-husband had emptied out our bank accounts, leaving my infant children and myself with nothing. I found myself going through old handbags and draws looking for any odd coins, not even finding enough money for a cup of coffee. I was a broken woman, stripped of all humility and dignity – totally gutted. “I was blessed to have distant family who came to my rescue – but there are many others who don’t have family to support them and end up in refuges or rough sleeping. “I have the greatest empathy for these women, and this is the least I can do to help out others who are doing it tough,” she said. If you wish to help out with this year’s campaign, you can drop your ‘Share the Dignity’ bag at your local Bunnings store in South Grafton between 20 – 29 November. The bags will then be collected and distributed to those in need.