Vicks has partnered with Mission Australia for its new ‘Touch of Care’ campaign in Australia, with the release of a new short film which highlights a true and moving journey of a young person who became homeless when escaping domestic violence. The short film is part of a Vicks donation campaign where every purchase of a Vicks product at Coles will see a donation go to Mission Australia to help provide vital support and care to people experiencing homelessness in Australia.
The powerful short film tells the real-life story of Sarah* who fled her home as a young person to escape domestic violence, leading her to experience periods of homelessness while she was a high school student. The care she received from a teacher helped her to turn her life around and inspired her to dedicate her life to caring for others. Today Sarah is a Mum, and a proud case manager with Mission Australia, a community services organisation that provides support to thousands of people and families every year.
For every Vicks product purchased at Coles and Coles Express between April and September 2019, one donation will be made to Mission Australia.
More than 116,000 Australians are homeless on any given night, and for many like Sarah, it’s the only option when home is no longer a safe place to be. Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness in Australia with 121,000 people who sought help from specialist homelessness services in the past year saying they had experienced domestic violence.
Mission Australia’s General Manager for Fundraising and Marketing, Elvira Lodewick said:“Mission Australia believes that no one should have to stay in an unsafe home just to keep a roof over their head, or their family’s head. Yet we know that there’s thousands of Australian families, individuals, young people and children who have been pushed into homelessness because their home isn’t a safe or secure place to live.