Bankwest, Anglicare WA thread together to support those in need

Bankwest has announced a new partnership with Anglicare WA, bringing together two iconic Western Australian organisations with a shared focus on supporting the more vulnerable members of society.

The partnership reflects Bankwest’s ongoing commitment to supporting the Western Australian community, with a particular focus on helping those at risk of domestic and financial abuse.

Anglicare WA is a leading not-for-profit devoted to helping people in times of need, providing support, counselling, and advocacy for those experiencing crisis and trauma, such as domestic violence, poverty, and homelessness.

The partnership involves Bankwest becoming a major volunteering partner and financially underpinning Anglicare WA’s Thread Together program, enabling the charity to broaden the service’s reach.

Anglicare WA’s Thread Together seeks to restore hope and dignity to people experiencing vulnerability, with a mobile van and stylist providing clients with brand new fashion clothing and saving them from becoming landfill.

Thread Together clients include households experiencing financial difficulties as a result of the rising cost-of-living, mental or serious illness, homelessness, poverty, and parents and children escaping family and domestic violence.

Thread Together was founded in 2012 but was only introduced to Western Australia in 2021 by Anglicare WA, with the first year of operation providing more than 8000 clothes items to 1600 people at no cost to those in need.

The Bankwest-Anglicare WA partnership will also provide Bankwest colleagues the opportunity to volunteer with the not-for-profit during work hours, sorting the donated clothes and stocking the Thread Together mobile van.

Anglicare WA CEO Mark Glasson said: “In just over three years, we have seen demand for our services increase by 160 per cent, as Western Australians have struggled to keep up with rising cost-of-living pressures.

“We know more people than ever before are going without new clothes, prescription medicines, and other essential items, as they have no income left after paying for accommodation, bills, and food.

“An increasing number of women and children have also needed the support of services like Thread Together to start over after escaping family and domestic violence, which increased during COVID-19.

“Anglicare WA is incredibly grateful to the support of Bankwest for helping keep Thread Together on the road and reducing its running costs through its staff volunteer program.”

Bankwest EGM Jason Chan said: “Bankwest has been a part of the fabric of Western Australia for more than 125 years, and we’re committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, especially in our home state.

“Bankwest is passionate about helping people experiencing challenging circumstances, particularly those at risk of domestic and financial abuse, and we’re proud to partner with Anglicare WA to achieve that shared goal.

“Bankwest will this year again be a strong supporter of the State Government’s 16 Days in WA campaign, seeking to end violence against women, and this partnership enables our colleagues to volunteer with an organisation devoted to assisting, among others, survivors of family and domestic violence, and financial abuse.

“We also know many are doing it tough at the moment, with rising costs-of-living putting a strain on households across WA, and I know my colleagues are looking forward to supporting Anglicare WA through volunteering.

“Anglicare WA has told us that, for the first time, Thread Together has workplaces approaching it for new starters who are unable to afford new clothing for their job, revealing the expanding scope of those in vulnerable situations.

“So, it’s a privilege to partner with Anglicare WA and to underpin its Thread Together program, enabling it to expand the reach of critical services and creating a positive social impact in our community.”