Staying on the road with Friends with Dignity
The beds are made. The fridge is in. The kids’ rooms have toys and books waiting for them.
That’s what a family walks into when Friends with Dignity sets up a home. The volunteer-run charity helps victim-survivors of domestic and family violence rebuild. They furnish homes for people leaving a refuge or transitional housing, step in with urgent support when it’s needed, and fund scholarships for kids.
As their moving partner, we transport furniture and donated goods between their locations, including interstate, and we’ve signed on for another year. To mark it, we sat down with Philip (PJ) Jackson, Chief Operating Officer at Friends with Dignity, to hear about the families they support and what the partnership makes possible.
More than furniture
Friends with Dignity works across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, with refuges and support agencies referring to the adults and children they help.
“Picture leaving a refuge with a lease and nothing else. No bed, no fridge, no school uniform. That’s the gap we fill,” said PJ.
Sometimes it’s a whole home. Sometimes it’s one thing, needed quickly. Friends with Dignity runs four programs to cover both:
- Sanctuary Program, which furnishes empty homes for people moving out of a refuge or transitional housing
- Urgent Requests, which provides items and financial help for adults who need support quickly
- Little Friends Urgent Requests, the same fast support, for children
- Little Friends Scholarships, up to $500 per child for their education and development
Last financial year, that added up to 95 Sanctuary homes, 138 urgent requests, and support for 291 adults and 485 children. That’s nearly two homes set up every week.
Friends with Dignity X Stockwells Sanctuaries
Inside a Sanctuary home
When a family moves out of a refuge and into an empty rental, Friends with Dignity furnishes the whole place. Beds, linen and towels. A lounge and a dining table. Whitegoods, cutlery, crockery and kitchenware. Toys and books for the kids.
Getting there takes a lot of hands. A partner agency refers the family and shares what they need. The team sources new and donated goods, and volunteers sort and pack everything at the warehouse. It’s moved to the property, then a volunteer crew sets up the home, right down to making the beds.
In June 2026, they set up their 1,000th Sanctuary home, in Brisbane.
“When the family arrives, the home is ready to live in from day one,” said PJ.
Ask PJ for a story that’s stayed with them and they’ll tell you it’s hard to pick one. Over the years, the team has received so many messages of thanks, and plenty of them bring a tear to your eye.
A few that have stayed with PJ:
- “This was the first night that I didn’t have to sleep with my shoes on.”
- “I was only expecting a few items, but it was a completed house.”
- “My children were over the moon when they saw their rooms with toys, and their favourite colours.”
“That first one says so much,” said PJ. “Sleeping with your shoes on means you’re ready to run. A safe, furnished home means you can finally rest.”
Messages like these remind volunteers and partners why the work matters. A bed, fresh linen or a child’s favourite colour in their room can change how someone feels about starting again.
Friends with Dignity X Stockwells 1000th Sancturary Home
Where Stockwells comes in
Donations don’t always land where families need them. One state might have more than it can use while families in another are waiting.
“A surplus in one state can fill a gap in another,” said PJ. “Without a transport partner, we would pay for freight or leave goods sitting in storage.”
That’s where we help. Because we handle the moves, Friends with Dignity’s money goes into homes instead of freight bills. Goods get to the states that need them most, and volunteers can plan setups with confidence.
So what’s it like working with us? We let PJ answer that one.
“They [Stockwells] are easy to work with, and they follow through. Their team understands what the goods are for. A load of beds and whitegoods means a family gets to move in on time.”
“They were also clear and upfront when we set up the agreement. That made it simple to renew. If you’re a charity looking for a logistics partner, you want someone reliable who shows up when they say they will. That’s Stockwells.”
Since our partnership with Friends with Dignity began, we’ve moved goods 8,058 kilometres. That’s roughly the distance from Brisbane to Perth, then all the way up to Darwin.
Each of those kilometres ends at a front door, with a family waiting to set up their new home. For Maddison Mangan, ESG and Marketing Coordinator at Stockwells, that’s what the crew keeps in mind on every load.
“Behind every one of those moves is a crew who knows there’s a family on the other end. Friends with Dignity trusts us with the things that will turn an empty rental into someone’s home, so we treat every load with that in mind. Turning up on time and taking care matters on every job, but on these ones it’s the difference between a family moving in and a family waiting,” said Maddison.
Volunteers do the heavy lifting
“Volunteers run our programs,” said PJ. “Without them, we don’t deliver.”
Corporate partners fill in the rest, like donated goods and services, or funding for items donations don’t cover.
“Each partnership frees up money we’d otherwise spend on running costs. That money goes back into homes for families,” said PJ.
We’re glad to be one of those partners.
Friends with Dignity X Stockwells
Want to help?
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Volunteer at a Sanctuary setup or in the warehouse
- Donate new or good-quality household goods
- Make a tax-deductible donation
- Bring your workplace on board as a corporate partner, or book in a team volunteer day
- Follow Friends with Dignity on social media and share their work
We’re proud to keep working alongside Friends with Dignity. If you’d like to get involved too, visit friendswithdignity.org.au.