Three amazing Aussie charities that deserve your attention

Australia is a country always seeking to make a difference, as shown by the abundance of impactful charities operating year-round.

But sometimes, choosing the right organisation for you can be difficult. That’s why we are placing the spotlight on three incredible organisations helping those in need in unique and inspiring ways.

 

 

Support the Girls

Support the Girls is a not-for-profit organisation providing vulnerable women with professionally fitted bras and hygiene products.

For many women and girls in Australia, a lack of access to these essential items results in mental and physical health issues. Support the Girls seeks to empower these individuals and build their self-esteem so they can feel confident in their communities.

Primarily, the organisation runs bra gifting events, where disadvantaged women and girls are invited to a communal safe space and given bras, underwear and toiletries. At these events, they are also provided with morning tea baked by the volunteers. The aim of the program is to create social connection, building a place of support and contact for often socially-isolated individuals while fitting them with essential hygiene products.

Support the Girls also partners with BreastScreen NSW to provide free mammogram screenings, and travels to marginalised women living in regional, remote or Indigenous communities to offer the same services.

The organisation was founded in 2016 by former crisis counsellor, Jane Holmes, and continues to help countless individuals in Queensland and New South Wales.

 

 

FareShare

FareShare is Australia’s largest non-profit kitchen, cooking nutritious meals for those doing it tough. Volunteers use rescued, donated and homegrown food to create delicious meals which are then given to frontline charities including homeless shelters, disaster relief groups, First Nations organisations and women’s refuges. In 2023 alone, FareShare’s Melbourne kitchen cooked 60,000 single-serve meals for those in need.

FareShare operates several refrigerated vans throughout Victoria which collect surplus and donated food from supermarkets and farmers. These ingredients are then brought back to the kitchens in Melbourne or Brisbane. Last year, the vans managed to rescue 1,500 tonnes of food. For even more produce, the organisation owns three kitchen gardens which grow more than 100 tonnes of vegetables every year.

The Schools in the Kitchen Program provides school children with the chance to learn about the struggle of food insecurity and take action. During the excursion, students are taught to prepare, measure and pack meals in the FareShare kitchens, helping them to make a lasting difference to their community. Corporate groups are also encouraged to volunteer in Melbourne.

 

 

HoMie

HoMie is a Melbourne-based clothing brand that contributes 100 percent of its profits towards its social impact programs for young people in need. The flagship store can be found on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, where branded clothes are sold to contribute to the HoMie programs.

HoMie Pathway Alliance is a retail education and employment program that aims to support young people between the ages of 18-25 who are impacted by homelessness and need help finding meaningful employment. The young people are paid to study a Cert III in business while simultaneously completing professional development classes. Participants are also employed part-time at the HoMie store or an employer partner during the program. 90 percent of Pathway Alliance graduates remain employed after the program.

Similarly, HoMie’s VIP Days encourages young people to visit the store and receive free garments, haircuts, personal care packs and lunch during particular session times. Since its foundation, HoMie has donated over 12,000 items of brand-new clothing to those in need. Once a year, it also travels to regional and remote communities to offer the same services in the form of a VIP Pack, which includes clothing and other supplies.

To read about three more amazing Aussie charities, click here.