The donations will go to Advance’s Hampshire Women’s Centre which provides support to women and their children in the local community and wider area.
Advance’s Hampshire Coordinator, Lied, said:
“We’re so pleased with the response of people who were doing their shopping. From men as well as women. Support like this is essential to the women we work with. Some of them have kids, and they struggle to find enough to feed their children. Instead of going to a food bank, they’ll be able to come to us directly. Or the team can take donations out to women in the community. Quite a few of the ladies who made donations told us they had worked for Advance or had a family member who’d used the charity’s services. That was lovely.”
Some 50 to 60 Hampshire women use the centre and demand is growing. The combined efforts of ASDA, local shoppers and Advance filled a mega trolley with bagloads of donations – enough to supply those who rely on the Hampshire Women’s Centre for around a year, said Lied.
Danielle Dean, Community Champion Asda Portsmouth, explained:
“Here at Asda, we’re proud to support the work that Advance Women’s Centre does within our local and the wider community. We help by collecting much needed supplies of food and toiletries that the centre then distributes to those women in need. The charity does such great work, not just within our local community, but the large surrounding areas as well. Allowing collections to happen instore, means our customers can help with the rise in demand for these services. Our customers always react to the call for donations on collection days, always donating generously. It’s a privilege to be able to help in such a small way, meaning the charity can help as many women as possible.”
Charlotte, Service Manager at Advance’s Hampshire Centre, added:
“I never cease to be amazed by how generous people are. Especially in this current climate of a cost-of-living crisis. Those who give donations are probably struggling in some way themselves.”
The centre is one of 11 in the South and East of England and across London, run by Advance which delivers specialist support to women who have experienced domestic abuse, and more than 2700 women in contact with the criminal justice system each year nationally.
“A fair number of younger women made donations, which goes to show how the world is changing and the younger generation is realising the importance of the work that charities like Advance do.”
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For all press enquiries, please contact:
E: press@advancecharity.org.uk
T: 020 39533111
About Advance
- Advance’s vision is a world in which women and children lead safe, equal, violence-free lives so that they can flourish and actively contribute to society. The charity works with women who experience domestic abuse to be safe and take control of their lives, and women who have committed crime or are at risk of offending to break the cycle.
- Women must be referred to Advance, via statutory services or the charity’s self-referral scheme. For more information about who Advance is able to support, please visit Get Help
- For facts and statistics about domestic abuse and women in the criminal justice system, as well as Advance’s work, please visit Our Impact
