Back in 2014, SI Guildford (as we then were) decided to support one of the refuges run by Your Sanctuary in Surrey. Since that time we have donated numerous further household items, including beds and furniture to enable a former resident and her son to furnish their new home and funds to supply school uniforms to children in the Refuge.
We now donate 
small gifts at Christmas so every child can give Christmas presents to their mothers as presents (fluffy socks, bars of Divine chocolate, luxury soap and bottles of shower gel). We provide the wrapping paper, string, sellotape, labels and cards, so that the children can wrap and decorate their own gifts. It’s sometimes the first time they’ve been able to do this.
We also put together cloth bags containing a base collection of household cleaning products which are delivered to each woman arriving at Your Sanctuary. The bags are handmade by one of our members and give the women receiving them a sense of independence. Each bag and contents costs around £10 and we provide approximately 60 bags per annum.
Handbags filled with an assortment of donated toiletries to welcome those arriving at the Refuge who may not have brought such items with them, and give them a handbag of their own.
This work recognises the Soroptimist goal of improving the lives and status of women and girls through education, empowerment or enabling opportunities and in particular, our work in helping to eliminate violence against women and girls.