Women’s Refuge shop closes its doors
An inability to make ends meet has forced the closure of the Palmerston North Women’s Refuge shop, putting further pressure on the charity’s already strained services.
The refuge is also in need of more than three times as many volunteers as it currently has, and is on the hunt for Easter treats for families in its care.
Acting manager Amey Jenkins said money made from the refuge’s shop, The Kowhai Tree, only covered the cost involved in its running.
The shop was open to the public, but clients of the refuge were able to get items for free.
‘‘We liked that our clients could access what they needed for no cost, but financially it wasn’t doing what we needed it to do.’’
Jenkins said sorting through donations was time-consuming and it was helpful when people looking to donate goods called ahead and asked the refuge if the items were needed. The refuge will still take donations through its Main St head office, but Jenkins said staff would have to dispose of anything broken.
As well as volunteers to help sort donations, the refuge also needs volunteers for the 24-hour crisis line.
Jenkins said the refuge had four volunteers, but would ideally have about 15 people helping out.
Having more people to run the crisis line would help those working at the refuge to deliver a ‘‘hugely important’’ service, Jenkins said.
‘‘[Refuge staff] then having to get up at 2am to deal with the same sort of stuff is really hard . . . Any sort of volunteers we can get to ease that pressure is huge.’’
Volunteers receive the same training as the staff to ensure they could meet the needs of the refuge’s clients and understood the violence women can face, Jenkins said.
There will be a training day for new volunteers within the next month.
‘‘We want them to know refuge isn’t just a job, it’s a movement . . . We want to let them know so they can effectively do the work,’’ she said.
The refuge is also appealing for Easter treats to distribute to families it works with. Jenkins said it had received only a few donations so far and any Easter goodies would be appreciated.
‘‘A lot of our kids don’t get the luxury of getting those special treats ... We really rely on the community to give.
‘‘Being able to get mums to be able to treat their kids, even if it’s with help from us is huge.’’
Anyone wanting to volunteer or donate can contact the refuge on 06 354 5355, or visit at 597 Main St.