FAQs

#ItsInTheBag is Share the Dignity's annual event where we encourage every day Australians to donate a bag to someone in need for Christmas. The bags are filled with essential items and are distributed to 3,000 Australian charities that have registered with us. 

For 2024, collections will open at every Bunnings store across Australia from 15 November to 1 December

If you would like to donate outside of collection time, you have two options:

1. Mail your donation directly to us:
   Share the Dignity
   PO Box 345
   Virginia QLD 4014
2. Sponsor a bag through our website and we will pack it for you.

Drop off your donations to any Bunnings Store Australia wide between 15 November - 1 December 2024. These collection boxes will be at every store nationwide. 

Find your nearest Bunnings and their trading hours on the Bunnings website.

We are a primarily volunteer-run organisation, and do not have the Shero-power to arrange collection outside these times.

You can also mail your donation directly to us:

Unfortunately, we cannot accept these items:

• Pharmaceutical items (including condoms, throat lozenges, paracetamol and ibuprofen)
• Food and drinks
• Sharp objects (including razors and scissors)
• Loose tampons and pads (please contact your local shelters to see if they can accept these)
• The bag itself needs to be in good condition but can be a pre-loved handbag or backpack.

Essentials for Adult bags

• Period products (pads, tampons, reusable pads, period-proof underwear and menstrual cups). We collect this variety of period products, so everyone in need receives their preferred period product.
• Shampoo (full size preferred)
• Conditioner (full size preferred)
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant (roll-on preferred)
• Soap or body wash

Don't include

• Pharmaceutical items (including condoms, throat lozenges, paracetamol and ibuprofen)
• Food and drinks
• Sharp objects (including razors and scissors)
• Loose tampons and pads (please contact your local shelters to see if they can accept these)

Please remember

• The bag itself needs to be in good condition but can be a pre-loved handbag or backpack
• All donations must be brand new, still sealed and in their original packaging
• Please do not separate out bulk packs
• All donations must comply with packaging TGA code of practice
• All handmade items must be brand new and not used

Essentials for Teen bags

• Period products suitable for young bodies (pads, tampons, reusable pads, period-proof underwear and menstrual cups). We collect this variety of period products, so everyone in need receives their preferred period product.
• Shampoo (full size preferred)
• Conditioner (full size preferred)
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant (roll-on preferred)
• Soap or body wash

Please identify a teen bag by using a yellow bag tag or ribbon

Don't include

• Pharmaceutical items (including condoms, throat lozenges, paracetamol and ibuprofen)
• Food and drinks
• Sharp objects (including razors and scissors)
• Loose tampons and pads (please contact your local shelters to see if they can accept these)

Please remember

• The bag itself needs to be in good condition but can be a pre-loved handbag or backpack
• All donations must be brand new, still sealed and in their original packaging
• Please do not separate out bulk packs
• All donations must comply with packaging TGA code of practice
• All handmade items must be brand new and not used

Essentials for Mum & bub bags

• Period products suitable for new mums (Maternity pads)
• Shampoo (full size preferred)
• Conditioner (full size preferred)
• Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Deodorant (roll-on preferred)
• Soap or body wash
• Breast pads
• Newborn nappies
• Baby Shampoo & Conditioner
• Baby soap or wash
• Disposable nappy bags
• Baby wipes
• Dummies
• Nappy rash cream

Please identify a Mum & bub bag by using a purple bag tag or ribbon

Don't include

• Pharmaceutical items (including condoms, throat lozenges, paracetamol and ibuprofen)
• Food and drinks
• Sharp objects (including razors and scissors)
• Loose tampons and pads (please contact your local shelters to see if they can accept these)

Please remember

• The bag itself needs to be in good condition but can be a pre-loved handbag or backpack
• All donations must be brand new, still sealed and in their original packaging
• Please do not separate out bulk packs
• All donations must comply with packaging TGA code of practice
• All handmade items must be brand new and not used

Full-sized items are preferred so they will last longer for the recipient, however, hotel-sized items will still be accepted.

Our wonderful volunteers (Sheroes) inspect the bag to ensure all the essentials are in there. If we come across any prohibited items, they are removed and offered separately to registered charities, if the items are safe for them to accept.

Absolutely! We can accept empty bags. If you are donating a pre-loved handbag, we ask that it is in great condition, clean and no clear signs of use. 

Feel free to add other brand-new items into the collection bins that can be used for other bags, we are often short on essentials. 

No. Donations must be brand new, sealed in their original packaging.  

To comply with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requirements, all period products are required to be brand new, unopened and in their original packaging. 

Handmade items must be unused, in a package with instructions, including where it was made, by who and use of product information. 

Absolutely! They need to be brand new and sealed in their packaging.   

This means for: 

• Period undies there must be tags on or still in the box 
• Menstrual cups must be in original packaging (to comply with the Therapeutic Goods Association requirements) and include information on Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) 
• Reusable pads must be packaged and include:

• • The name/type of the product 
  • Instructions for use 
  • List of products used to create the item 
  • The name and address of the manufacturer  
  • The batch number or serial number for the product contained within the pack 
  • If your product comes in multiple sizes, the size of the unit contained in the pack 

Please don’t include these items in your bags. You can reach out to your local charities (like domestic violence refuges) to see if they would like a donation. Find your nearest on Ask Izzy.

We do our best to keep donations in the local area where possible. However, as a National Charity we try to distribute donations to those in need. This may mean that where we collect more than what is needed in a state/area, we transport the donations to alternate locations where we have not collected enough.  

Please post your items to us at: PO Box 345 Virginia QLD 4014.

As a predominantly volunteer-based charity, Share the Dignity doesn't have the facilities, resources or Shero-power to organise collections directly.

As a predominantly volunteer-based charity, Share the Dignity doesn't have the facilities, resources or Shero-power to organise collections directly. 

If you have a large donation, you can still take them to Bunnings Store between 15 November - 1 December 2024. Don’t worry, we have our volunteers emptying the large collection boxes multiple times a day so they will fit.

If you'd like to, you can become a local collection point. We won't be advertising any collection points outside of Bunnings stores, but we know so many of you are working hard to collect too! All you need to do is make sure all the bags you've collected are donated to any Bunnings store before close of business, Sunday 1 December 2024.

Our Dignity Drives run every March and August.

We accept donations of brand new sanitary and period products including pads, tampons, maternity pads, incontinence pads, reusable pads, period-proof underwear and menstrual cups.

We collect this variety of period products, so everyone in need receives their preferred period product.

All donations must be brand new, still sealed in their original packaging and must comply with Australian quality standards.

A full list of all registered collection points will be on the Dignity Drive webpage during the months of March and August.

Your local Woolworths store will have a box near the checkouts. Find your nearest Woolworths store.

You are more than welcome to set up your own internal collection drive and ask friends/family/colleagues/your local community to donate period products.

We love seeing how the public collect donations - you can use any kind of collection container you like, and there are a range of downloadable resources available that you can print out to decorate your collection container.

Also, during the Dignity Drives in March and August, you can drop off donated items at any of the registered collection points. You can find your closest registered collection point via our Dignity Drive webpage. 

Charities register with Share the Dignity and during Dignity Drives request a set amount of items to see them through until the next drive. All donated items are collected by our volunteers and distributed based on the requests by our charities. 

Charities are eligible if they are helping those experiencing homelessness, victims of domestic violence, people in crisis and people in rural and remote locations with difficulty accessing period products.

If you can't get to collection points physically but would still like to support, you can post your donations to P.O Box 345 Virginia QLD 4014.

In the months before March and August, there will be an opportunity to register your business or workplace as a collection point on the Dignity Drive webpage.

You are welcome to purchase a collection box from our website or alternatively create your own and decorate it. There is also a link to resources and posters at the bottom of this webpage. Once registered, one of our volunteers will be in contact with you to arrange a collection of the generous donations you have received. Our volunteers will then distribute the products to our charity partners who will give them to those in need. 

Please note: whilst we will do our best to have a volunteer collect donations from your organisation, this may not always be possible. In this event, we will work with you on an alternate arrangement to collect donations.

Hold on tight to your donations and a Share the Dignity Shero will be in contact with you towards the end of the Dignity Drive to organise pickup.

Absolutely! They need to be brand new, in packaging that meets the TGA guidelines for menstrual cups, just to be safe.

The items can be open but MUST NOT BE USED, even lightly. 

This means for:

• Period undies there must be tags on or still in their boxes
• Menstrual cups must be packaging and instructions that include information on Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
• Reusable pads must be packaged and include
  • The name of your product
  • Instructions for use
  • List of products used to create the item
  • The name and address of the manufacturer or the sponsor
  • The batch number or serial number for the product contained within the pack
  • If your product comes in multiple sizes, the size of the unit contained in the pack

Share the Dignity's mission is to end period poverty and ensure that all women have unrestricted access to sanitary items. We do this through the donation and distribution of period products including pads, maternity pads, incontinence pads, new reusable pads, tampons, period-proof underwear and menstrual cups. Any donations must be brand new, still sealed in their original packaging and must comply with Australian quality standards. We do this because no woman should have to choose between a tampon and a meal.

We understand that the issues facing women, both here in Australia and around the world, are not limited to period poverty. There are a huge number of organisations and resources available to support women with a range of issues, including healthcare, counselling, financial support and safety. Share the Dignity encourages any woman seeking information or advice on these matters to contact a medical professional that they trust, or they can contact 1800 Respect (1800 737 732) or Ask Izzy to help find the best resources for their situation.

Share the Dignity is not a healthcare provider, nor are we able to provide direct financial support. Our focus remains on providing women and girls in need with access to period products so that they are not forced to choose between dignity and a meal.

If you or someone you know needs the support of a resource outside what Share the Dignity can provide, please see our 'Get Help' page.

Thank you for your enquiry, and for wanting to help make a difference to the lives of those in need. Share the Dignity supports the efforts of organisations like yours, who work with those in need throughout the year.

We endeavour to meet all requests for donations, however, Share the Dignity is reliant on the donations of period products and toiletries from our incredible supporters in order to fulfil these requests.

If you would like to register, please fill out our 'Register as a charity partner' form.