Gloucester Uniting Church Ladies Fellowship support the charity, Share the Dignity

LAST year, the Gloucester Uniting Church Ladies Fellowship decided to support the charity Share the Dignity.

Founder Rochelle Courtney established Share the Dignity in 2015 after identifying a genuine need to provide vulnerable women with access to basic period products.

Many of these women live in shelters, experience homelessness, flee domestic violence or face financial hardship.

Reports have shown that some women are forced to choose between buying food or purchasing expensive period products to manage their menstruation.

Rochelle Courtney describes herself as a self-confessed graduate from the school of hard knocks.

“[hard times] is a powerful teacher.

“Its lessons can either close your heart or open it up.”

Barbara Reichert from the Gloucester Uniting Church Ladies Fellowship told News Of The Area, “We were pleased to donate 30 bags plus eight bags of nappies which we dropped off at Bunnings in November 2025.”

Taking on the mission, members of the Gloucester Uniting Church congregation donated personal hygiene products and funds to purchase essential items for dignity bags.

Donors contributed items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, feminine hygiene products, soap, tissues, and bottles of shampoo and conditioner, placing them in clean handbags, backpacks or shopping bags.

Woolworths also supports the charity, with donation boxes placed in stores each March and August to collect items donated by customers.

Woolworths Supermarkets Community Program Manager Loretta Arrastia said, “There’s always a tremendous amount of passion for the Dignity Drives in our stores, with countless team members enthusiastically dressing in pink and hosting local events to rally support for Share the Dignity.”

Dignity Drive runs twice each year, in March and November.

Share the Dignity has expanded its support to include teenagers and mums with babies.

Rochelle’s compassion and determination continues to drive the charity’s work in supporting women most in need.

With the support of more than 6,000 volunteers, the charity has delivered more than 4-million packets of period products and over 800,000 handbags filled with essential items to women and girls across Australia.

Donors are encouraged to visit the charity’s website at sharethedignity.org.au for guidance on items suitable for Teenagers, Mums and Bubs or Bag Essentials or to make a donation.

By Marilyn SANDERSON