Across South Queensland, ADRA and the Conference are working together to bring hope, dignity and practical support to people facing some of the hardest moments of their lives. Thanks to the generosity of our churches and members, women escaping domestic violence, elderly community members struggling through winter and people sleeping rough are receiving the help they desperately need.
“Go Bags”: restoring dignity in the face of loss
One powerful example of this partnership is the “Go Bag” initiative. Churches across the region have filled brand new backpacks with essential items for women fleeing domestic violence. The bags contain toiletries, hygiene products and small personal comforts that mean so much to someone who has nothing left.
These bags are ready at our ADRA projects the moment a woman needs one.
Recently, a woman arrived with her support worker. She had just fled a violent situation and escaped with nothing but the clothes she was wearing. Her support worker, desperate to find immediate help, searched online and came across ADRA. She had never connected with us before, but was relieved to discover support available right when it was needed.
As our volunteer manager handed the woman a Go Bag, her whole expression softened. She unpacked each item slowly, a gentle smile forming as she realised these belongings were now hers. The backpack fit perfectly, and when she found the journal tucked inside, she held it close—something she could use to write, reflect and find a moment of clarity in the chaos.
Her support worker was deeply moved by the care put into the bag. Moments like this remind us how simple but thoughtful items can restore dignity when everything else has been taken away.
Warmth for winter: essentials for those doing it tough
This winter, ADRA and South Queensland Conference partnered with churches to provide new blankets and warm socks to people struggling through the cold. These donations were given to elderly individuals who can’t afford heating, families facing hardship and people sleeping rough in freezing conditions.
One moment stands out. While delivering blanket-and-sock packs to an ADRA project, I saw volunteers assisting a man who had been sleeping rough. They had given him some food and as I walked past, I quietly asked if he might also need a blanket and some socks. He looked up, surprised, and said, “Well . . . yes.”
When I handed him the blanket and three pairs of thick socks, his eyes filled with tears. He walked away with food, warmth and a renewed sense of strength and standing a little taller than when he arrived.
None of this would be possible without the partnership between ADRA, the South Queensland Conference, our churches and the many individuals who give so generously. Every Go Bag packed, every blanket donated, every pair of socks purchased reflects the heart of our mission: to serve humanity so all may live as God intended.
Thank you to every church, volunteer and donor who makes this work possible. Together, we are bringing comfort and dignity to people in their most vulnerable moments—and that is something truly powerful.
*Note: this article was originally published in Focus Magazine, South Queensland Conference’s news magazine.
Lisa Booth is the ADRA Australia regional manager.
