Donate

GenWest is incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981. We are a public benevolent institution endorsed as a deductible gift recipient and entitled to receive tax deductible donations.

Your gift will directly help victim-survivors of family violence, and support communities in the west to lead safe and health lives. Donations support us to deliver vital services such as:

• Crisis support for people living in fear of, or escaping from family violence. Donations help us to support victim-survivors. Last year, we supported over 5,000 victim-survivors of family violence.
• Assisting people to transition from living with violence to leading safe, healthy and secure lives. Our crisis accommodation, counselling, court support and After Hours services help victim-survivors heal and recover from their experiences. Last year, we were able to provide children’s and youth counselling to 262 children and young people, and provide 726 After Hours outreach visits to victim-survivors in crisis.
• Promoting positive health, preventing violence and increasing gender equity. Our primary prevention and health promotion programs aim to prevent violence before it occurs, and reduce the inequities that limit the lives of people in the communities of the west. Last year, our programs reached nearly 65,000 people, but many more need our support.

Essential items

We accept donations of essential items to distribute to people that access our service, including:

• Unopened non-perishable food donations
• Unopened full-sized (not hotel or travel sized) toiletries such as body wash, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser
• Unopened menstrual products
• Unopened full-sized toothbrushes and toothpaste
• New clothes, socks, shoes and underwear (with tags on)
• Pre-loaded myki cards
• Unopened double-bed linen
• Unopened single-bed linen
• Unopened doonas/covers
• Unopened crockery
• Unopened pillow cases
• Unopened wheat bags
• Packs of playing cards (e.g. UNO cards)
  

Gifts Cards

Pre-loaded gift cards enable people that access our services to purchase what they need, when they need it. We are grateful to accept gift cards from retailers such as Target, Big W, Kmart, Woolworths, Coles.

Gift bags and hampers

We accept care packs or hampers of essential items that we can distribute to people that access our services.

Current high need items

• Children's books suitable for infants up to teenagers
• Picture books and children's costumes for story time at the refuge
• Children's art and craft supplies for creative classes at the refuge

How to donate

Please fill in the online form and tell us what you would like to donate and when you can deliver the items. Please read the donation guidelines below before filling in the form.

Donation guidelines

GenWest cannot accept the following donations as we have very limited storage space and no capacity for managing these donations:

• Furniture
• Second-hand items (i.e clothes, toys, furniture, bed linen and electrical items)
• Opened or out of date food items
• Opened or hotel/travel sized toiletries

While we appreciate the generosity of community, unfortunately we have to turn down these offers. Here is a list of organisations that accept these donations.

• St Kilda Mums: Accept toys, baby clothes and baby items.
• GIVIT: Matches people with organisations based on the product they want to donate.
• Share the Dignity: Regularly collect various personal hygiene products to give to women experiencing homelessness or family violence.
• Fitted for Work and Wear for Success: Accept workwear and smart clothing to women who have experienced disadvantaged and are seeking employment.
• West Welcome Wagon: Accept donations of good quality second-hand items to give to asylum seekers in Melbourne’s west.
  

Contact us on 1800 436 937 or info@genwest.org.au if you would like more information.