mmg.com.au

Helping out a friend has led to a Seymour woman helping out many more besides.

Bree Miller was asked by a friend about uses for an old maternity bra.

‘‘She had just finished breastfeeding, so I did some research and came across this,’’ she said.

‘‘This’’ is the Uplift Project, a charity that sends new and used bras and cloth nappies and new underpants to women in the Pacific, Asia and remote Australian communities.

Larger-size bras (E-cup and above) are particularly in demand in the Pacific, as well as maternity bras and singlets and mastectomy bras. Underwear is also necessary for girls who otherwise cannot attend school while menstruating.

Uplift hadn’t been represented in the Goulburn Valley until Ms Miller decided to do her research.

‘‘I realised there were no drop-off points around here so I decided to organise some.’’

Apart from her Seymour home, there are now collection points in Shepparton and Kyabram, while Mansfield is next on the list. Ms Miller is a frequent visitor to Echuca so can also collect there.

But why the need?

‘‘Most of us have a lot of bras sitting around that we don’t need any more,’’ she said.

‘‘We may as well give them to women who can use them. It might not be big in the scheme of things but it gives them some dignity.

‘‘A lot of the bras they get there are made in Asia and not for larger-size women and they are also synthetic and in the humidity they just disintegrate, as well as being expensive.’’

You can drop off items in the bin pictured next to Ms Miller’s front door at 17 Kennedy Ct, Seymour (you do not need to ring the doorbell). For more information contact her on 0403869780.