This year I packed two bags for some teens in need. Here's what I put inside each:
How You Can Participate
If you're in Australia, you can fill a new or gently used bag with some essential items for a woman or teen in need over Christmas. Share the Dignity partner with many charities to make sure the bags are available for those doing it tough. They could be in poverty, homeless, or feeling domestic violence and your donation can help bring some comfort.
Bags can be dropped off at all Bunnings stores in Australia from the 15th November to the 1st December. (Starts today!)
What To Include In Your Bag
Once you have a new or gently used bag to donate, you can buy some things to fill it with. I'm always looking for things on sale or on special near the end of the year to include in my bags.
While there is a list of essentials needed in every bag, you can always add a little extra or two to your bag. The basics are:
shampoo and conditioner
toothbrush and toothpaste
body wash or soap
roll on deodorant
pads or tampons.
Ideas for extras you may want to include are listed on the Share the Dignity Website. This year I added gel pens, a colouring book, hairbrush, sanitiser and tissues as my little extras. I was so proud of scoring the colouring books at Kmart for just $4 each, and I picked up both bags on clearance too. I really hope the bags make someone smile this Christmas!
It's that time of year again! Share The Dignity are running their #ItsInTheBag campaign, encouraging you to put together a new or gently used bag with a few essentials and some special treats for a woman in need at Christmas time.
While Share The Dignity collect bags to distribute to teens as well as bags for mums and new babies, this year I picked again to do a standard bag for a woman in need.
What's In My Bag For #It'sInTheBag
A big bag, but it needed to be to fit everything inside! I packed all of the essentials - pads and tampons, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, tooth brush and tooth paste. So that a woman in need at Christmas time has all the essentials everyone deserves. When times are tough sometimes even the basics are out of reach.
With the use of some Clinique items I got free as a gift with repurchase of my current moisturiser, I added in a few luxury items as well, to make whoever receives this feel special. Face wash, moisturiser, lipstick, and mascara. I added in some sunscreen too, and makeup remover wipes and a couple of face masks, along with a pretty necklace and of course a little Christmas card. Because everyone deserves to feel a bit of joy on Christmas, and to feel loved.
I've donated these bags for the past few years and it's become a staple on my Christmas shopping list, to look out for things someone might like to receive in a bag like this. If you're in Australia, you can donate your own bag at any Bunnings between 18th and 27th November.
You can find a list of the items required and suggested for each bag on the Share the Dignity website. And if you want any further inspiration, you can see some of the bags I put together in previous years below.
If you are outside of Australia, you can donate online to sponsor a bag, or you can find a similar charity in your country to support. Food banks are always grateful for donations too!
Sharing what's in my bag for Share The Dignity #ItsInTheBag! I've done this the past couple of years in order to support local women. The Share the Dignity charity aims to ensure all women across Australia have access to sanitary products. Each Christmas they run the It's In The Bag campaign, where you fill a new or gently used handbag with some essential products and special gifts for a woman or teen in need.
This year, the same as last year, I've decided to do a mums and bubs bag. I've filled a nappy bag with a lot of essentials and a few special treats to let a mum to be or new mum in need know she is loved at Christmas time.
My decision to do a baby bag again this year was made thanks to a special gift with purchase Priceline had on. If you spent $39 or more on participating brands in store you got a baby bag filled with samples and full size baby care products. The perfect thing to start off my donation! The video shows how I fit everything inside and what I included:
As you can see in the video, the bag is a good size and I fit quite a lot into it! I made full use of all the pockets to ensure that as well as covering off the essentials for mum and baby, I included a few extra treats. It breaks my heart to think that there are mums across Australia who due to circumstances outside their control are facing a Christmas alone with their new baby. Maybe they are homeless, maybe they are in a domestic violence refuge, maybe they are living in poverty, maybe they have fled from extreme weather and have nothing left but the clothes on their back. I hope this bag brings a little bit of joy. There are many stories that Share the Dignity have on their site and socials to demonstrate how much of an impact this small gift can make.
How You Can Help:
There are so many ways to get involved:
This year, you can sponsor a bag if you don't have time to source all the products yourself. Your donation will be used to build a mum and bub bag, teen bag or woman's bag for Christmas.
You can put together your own bag of essentials - the list of required and optional extra items is on the Share the Dignity site. Pay special attention to the exclusions list if you are using the Priceline deal as part of your donation this year like I did - not everything in the bag is suitable to donate, and I had to remove some items. The deal is no longer available online but there are some bags still in stores.
If you're donating a bag, drop it off at your local Bunnings between 20th - 29th November. Following all local coronavirus precautions and restrictions of course.
Share to raise awareness - you can follow Share the Dignity on Facebook, they have a lot of helpful tips and ideas for putting together a bag, and lots of info graphics to share. Like this one, which shows what to include in your bag:
With 2020 being a tough year for a lot of people, I really hope this bag makes a difference for one mum and bub and makes her feel special at Christmas time. If you have the ability, there are so many ways to give back this year - donate your time or money to your favourite charity, donate to It's In the Bag, or find an organisation in your country doing something similar - these are sometimes called Blessing Bags in other countries. You can see my woman's bag donation in 2018, and baby bag donation in 2019 for more ideas.
Have you participated in #ItsInTheBag or a similar donation drive before? What extra pieces did or would you include in your bag? I'll be doing this next year as well and I'm always open to new ideas for what to include!
Note: I was not paid for this post. As always all thoughts, opinions and images are my own.
