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When thieves removed furniture destined for the homes of domestic violence survivors from the charity Woven Earth last month, it was a devastating blow.
Woven Earth founder Kerryn Thrupp says it was gut wrenching to arrive at the organisation’s Silverdale depot with a truck to collect the items, and find everything had gone.
She says because everything had been donated, and there was no monetary loss, she opted not to involve Police. Lack of lockable space meant that the items had been placed in a parking bay overnight.
“It’s a mystery how anyone knew that the furniture was there,” Kerryn says. “I’ve had to accept that it’s been and gone.”
A scramble to fill the house followed. It included generous donations from a number of locals.
“One woman went to a local store and bought a new chest of drawers and bedside table for us when she heard what had happened,” Kerryn says.
Woven Earth helps survivors of family violence from Warkworth to Pukekohe by filling their houses with new and donated good quality items.
It was launched in August 2019 and has operated from a 77sqm depot in Silverdale for five months, since moving from a garage. In that time, it has furnished more than 150 homes.
Kerryn says the registered charity has seen demand grow by 400 percent since Covid-19. She puts this down to awareness of the new service, an increase in family harm and also that Woven Earth has increased the number of agencies that it works with. These agencies include NZ Police, Victim Support, Shine and a number of refuges.
Currently Woven Earth is filling three homes per week, on average, with everything from placemats and toys to tables, beds and bathroom supplies.
“Demand has seen us explode out of this space,” Kerryn says.
She says the theft made finding a larger lock-up, ideally around 250sqm (anywhere from Silverdale to Albany) more urgent. This would mean that goods could be left in a secure place for collection, instead of outside the depot.
“We could share with another organisation or business that has spare space – we are open to all offers and ideas,” she says. “We need a solution so that this kind of theft doesn’t happen again.”
Support from business sponsors is also sought and donations are always welcome.
Info: www.wovenearth.org.nz or email Kerryn@wovenearth.org.nz
