Staff Volunteering: Bags of Love

A team of dedicated PhoenixDX staff members recently volunteered their time to support Impact for Women, a charity that helps women who are escaping family violence. The charity provides these women with “Bags of Love” filled with essential items they may not have had access to when they left their homes. Everything in these bags is brand new and includes basic toiletries, a cup or mug filled with teas, coffee, lollies or chocolates, a fully stocked make-up bag, as well as a just-because gift. They also supply items for children.

PhoenixDX staff members became aware of the amazing work that Kathy Kaplan, CEO of Impact for Women, and her team does when she spoke to us about the impact of family and domestic violence at a company meeting in 2022. Last year, a team of PhoenixDX staff members volunteered their time to build an application that streamlined and simplified how Impact for Women manages its resources, volunteers, and deliveries, allowing them to do more with less.

Last weekend, some staff members from our Sydney and Melbourne teams attended both Wrap & Pack days at Impact for Women. There are two major packing events at Impact for Women each year, one for Mother’s Day and one for Christmas. These are huge events, and there are a lot of resources and people to coordinate. Kathy Kaplan was grateful for the army of volunteers who turned up, and over the coming weeks, these bags of love will continue to be delivered to women’s shelters across Victoria.

“This past weekend we had two teams of volunteers who caught and shared courage: one who finished packing nearly 2500 Bags of Love and the second a mixture of our Drive & Deliver volunteers and those who packed their cars.”

- Kathy

Sadly, many women and children will miss out on these Bags of Love as they couch-surf outside the shelter network. Impact for Women still needs more volunteers to help source, pack and deliver the items women and children need when fleeing family violence. With community help, we can make a real difference in the lives of women and children escaping family violence.

Impact for Women is an incredible charity that provides practical support to women and children affected by family violence. It’s a sobering thought that one in three women will experience violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. That’s why it’s essential that charities like Impact for Women exist to help women get back on their feet.

If you’re keen to support Impact for Women, please get involved. Together we can make a real difference in the lives of women and children escaping family violence.

We are proud of our team for allocating their free time to help with community projects. Thank you, Mike Samuel, Hanno Coetzee and Joao Melo, for stepping up and helping out.

Find out more about our digital volunteers and the application they are building for Impact for Women.