Young and old faces lit up when staff members from the Commonwealth Bank Forster branch dropped in to the Great Lakes Women’s Shelter laden with goodies.
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Five hundred dollars worth of children’s activities, along with a handful of pamper packs for the mums ensured the April school holidays was indeed a fun time.
Shelter manager, Natalie Mulhall said she was thrilled by the bank’s generosity.
“We were blown away by the amount of items purchased and the sheer joy that this brought to the staff,” Natalie said.
“This was a time when we really needed it,” Natalie said.
“We had minimal activities for the children this school holidays,” she said.
With the help of eager young residents, the activities were quickly unpacked and put to good use in the centre’s new child support area
There are some awesome Paw Patrol artwork up on the walls in the shelter already, Natalie said.
“Thank you to the Commonwealth Bank Forster branch and their wonderful staff.”
The CBA offers assistance packages to women escaping domestic violence.
In 2015, bank put in place a strategy to be part of a movement to end domestic and family violence in a generation.
Domestic and family violence is a widespread problem in Australia, found in every community, regardless of gender, sexual orientation and identity, education, cultural background and income.
The crime, which predominantly affects women and children, is believed to affect one in four women in Australia, many of whom also suffer financial abuse at the hands of partners or other family members.
This relief includes:
- Ensuring customers have access to a 24-hour confidential counselling service on 1800 222 387, a helpline managed by Rape and Domestic Violence Services, which specialises in domestic and family violence. Independent counsellors can assess the customer’s needs to ensure their safety and provide the right support, including referrals to the relevant essential support services.
- Depending on their circumstances, customers will be provided with access to an Emergency Assistance Package, including a Commonwealth Bank pre-paid debit card up to $1000; a mobile phone and data package from Telstra; and up to $500 in vouchers for groceries and other essentials.
- In recent months, the bank has also provided significant funding to improve financial counselling skills, and has teamed up with a number of domestic and family violence agencies to produce and distribute the Addressing Financial Abuse Community Resource Guide.
