LOCAL LIFE
MAKE A DIFFERENCE : Support The Girls
by Lorna Gordon
Jane Holmes is a fighter . She might not seem like that when you meet her , but she will do what needs to be done for the people and causes she cares about .
Widowed at only 39 , Jane had to , in her own words , ‘ rebuild and rebrand myself ’ so that she could take care of her young children and make a new life for them all . It was a hard to put one foot in front of another , but Jane was determined to keep them financially afloat , even when it meant things would be tight and there was little money left for extras .
Fast forward until 2016 and Jane was living on the Gold Coast when a young woman approached to ask if she had any period products she could use . Sensing something wasn ’ t right , Jane took her for lunch and found out this teenager was living rough , so asked to see where she was living to make sure she was safe .
It was there she met one of the older women who had been looking out for her new found friend , and Jane was distressed to realise this older woman did not have a bra and because of this , underneath her bust was covered in sores from the skin rubbing in the heat .
After taking her to the pharmacy to get her some wound treatment , Jane took the lady to get fitted for a bra , so that she could be comfortable and let her body heal . She asked why she hadn ’ t gone to an op shop to try and find something for herself , and the answer was simple , she had no money , and they wouldn ’ t have anything to fit her bust anyway . Jane was horrified that women had to live like this and felt determined to do something about it . She began looking into it further and realised there were no larger sized bras in op shops that would be supportive enough . There and then she decided she had to help make a change , feeling that all women deserved the dignity of well fitting bras and underwear to make them feel comfortable and good in themselves , and so Support the Girls was born .
Now Jane and her crew of volunteers and staff help women in NSW and Queensland get access to properly fitted bras , underwear , toiletries and period products . She does this by partnering with service providers to gather the women together for a morning tea .
“ I ’ m an introvert , so I had to think about what might make the women I wanted to reach feel better . There were times where I would have loved someone to give me a hug and a cup of tea , so I decided to do bra gifting at a morning tea ,” Jane told me .
“ The women get to talk to someone , get fitted and be given three to five bras each , a complete toiletry pack , underwear , Modi body period underwear or period packs . It usually runs for three to four hours and the women get to have a beautiful experience .”
Jane explained these bra gifting events are open to anyone , they don ’ t get asked any questions about their personal situation . She knows that many women are struggling financially and for them to
Helping women feel confident and comfortable is the drive behind Support the Girls .
use money on a new bra or underwear is unlikely to happen .
Support the Girls is changing things for Indigenous women too . They are working with Breast Screening NSW to get more women screened for breast cancer by combining bra gifting events with screenings and have helped to take participation up to 88 per cent from only 9 per cent , which is a huge leap .
If you want to help you can donate lightly worn bras in good condition ( bigger sizes are always in demand ) or new underwear which hasn ’ t been worn . Toiletries and period products are also very welcome . If you have time to spare you can help with volunteering too , Support the Girls are looking for people to host a drop off point for donations , help raise funds or co-ordinate events .
They also need people to do outreach work and speak to women and girls who are living on the streets , are living in remote areas or to liaise with service providers to arrange bra gifting days through them .
You can find out more at their website www . supportthegirls . com . au and all bra gifting events are detailed on their social media .
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! ISSUE 102 // DECEMBER 2023 11