By Victoria Stone-Meadows
A CHIROPRACTIC clinic in Dandenong decided to take a different route with their Christmas charity collecting this year by taking donations of women’s personal items.
Instead of conducting a food drive, Jessica Djalikian at Sims and Finn Chiropractic decided to team up with charity ‘Share the Diginity’ for their ‘It’s in the bag’ campaign.
Share the Dignity collect secondhand handbags filled with women’s hygiene items such as sanitary items, shampoo, toothbrushes and more for women who are homeless or fleeing family violence situations.
“Usually for Christmas we do food drives but this year we decided to take more the women’s health direction,” Ms Djalikian said.
“One of our receptions found the Share the Dignity group and we decided to do that.”
The clinic registered as a collection point for the charity and encouraged their clients to donate their secondhand handbags filled with personal items for women in crisis.
“We started with a goal of 100 bags at the start of December and we are now up to 180 bags,” Ms Djalikian said.
“Our patients’ generosity has far exceeded expectations and everyone really enjoyed picking this one so I think we’ll do it for a few more years a least.”
The bags collected at Sims and Finn contain items such as toothpaste, deodorant, sanitary items, hair ties, shampoo and conditioner, tissues, hairbrush and other items.
The bags will be distributed to women in the Dandenong community who are facing tough times and will be collected by the clinic until 16 January.
Ms Djalikian said the patients at the clinic who have made this donation possible have humbled the staff with their support.
“We would like to thank our Sims and Finn Chiropractic community of patients who have supported us in all of our charity endeavours over the past 55 years,” she said.
“Each and every year your generosity and commitment to a cause grows and blows us away, and for that we are eternally thankful and grateful.”
