In 2022 we hit the ground running with emergency aid requests from week 1.
Callouts were also made for people Bayside council under the care of Bayside Council early in the year. David Southwick MP awarded our founder Deb with Caulfield Local Hero Certificate and we were privileged to be invited to talk at a Soroptomist evening.
Cheltenham Brownies held a craft session with their girls for International Women’s Day and Brad Rowswell MP popped in to help at a mega packing session.
We also launched our much needed Donation Stations. The stations were funded thanks to a grant from Community Bank Highett and produced at Men’s Shed in Beaumaris.
Our amazing community were busy creating comfort cards, beanies, gloves & scarves for aged care & the homeless, as well as helping on numerous sorting and packing sessions.
We’ve also gave ongoing help when requested to displaced Ukranian families and featured on a Channel 10 news report about the same alongside World Vision and Souper Kitchen.
In May we held our 2nd annual National Volunteer Week Thank You Morning Tea in partnership with Highett Community Neighbourhood House and Chatty Café with over 50 attendees & loads of goodies including a huge auction & gift bags for all guests. The event was funded by a granted we secured from the Federal government and was the 1st of 4 events the grant covered. We were honoured to have Tim Wilson, the then MP for Goldstein & Brad Roweswell MP & Deputy Mayor Cr Hanna El Mouallem attend.
Local community radio Southern FM interviewed us on the Highett Community Neighborhood House & John Cotteral’s Happy Hour shows. 2022 also saw KOGO announce us as charity partners and they supplied us with some much needed goods for our packs.
Early July, with the help of several of our amazing volunteers, we moved into our new HQ at Moorleigh Community Village thanks to a generous offer from Glen Eira Council! Our 1st volunteer session there was for our homeless initiative & we welcomed Amy & Ruby who held a collection for items at Caulfield Grammar & helped pack our backpacks. David Southwick MP attended this session & helped with the packing & met the girls & the volunteers.
Acts of kindness from our sensational community included Monique, Amanda & Andrea who put together a pamper hamper for a Mum fleeing domestic violence. This hamper was given to an extremely deserving Mum under the care of Emerge. .
With the help of our community we worked on numerous initiatives for homeless, domestic violence, aged care & food relief & held multiple volunteer sessions. We also continued to rally our community to help Ukranian families who have relocated locally.
We were also privileged to attend the inaugural Volunteer Expo held by the City of Kingston .
The Westfield Local Heroes grant we received in 2021 from Westfield Southland was completed in the 2nd ½ of the year.The funding went to a few areas including providing comfort packs for children fleeing domestic violence to Emerge. The bulk of the funding went to supplies for SECASA to establish a vital music therapy program. We also topped up the art program BCER helped SECASA establish in 2021, as well as top up counselling packs.
Our mammoth annual online auction in October was our biggest yet and we won our jar at Grill’d Hampton.
Students from Berrendale school & Kids Like Us attended volunteer sessions. Plus the lovely Hannah who is a Duke of Edinburgh student began her time with us building up her volunteer hours and education.
THANK YOU to all who donated & for the support from other not for profits, companies & our super hero community. Apologies if we have overlooked anyone in our stats below. Together we are helping thousands in need every year! Who’d have thought a simple idea 3 years ago would lead to all of this?!
2023 is shaping up to be another busy year with a significant increase in vital food relief needed so please spread the word with our callouts & volunteer sessions.… The more members our Facebook group has the more aid we can get for those in need.
…..It takes a village!
We completed emergency response initiatives and donations for: The Avalon Centre
Orange Door Frankston & Dandenong
VACCA Family Life Sandrigham
Grace Heart Community Church
Emerge
African Family Services
Fairway Bayside Aged Care
Multiple Ukranian families
Independent Living Glen Eira
Warrawee Community
SECASA
Highett Rooming House
Hope in a Suitcase
Ready Set
Comfort Packs: Our awesome volunteers completed 1,180 packs including emergency packs for men, women and children fleeing domestic violence, art therapy packs, counselling packs, packs for the homeless/rough sleepers & for residents in not for profit aged care homes. All this plus thousands of other items including food relief and winter clothing also went out.
Grants completed: Westfield Local Heroes, Federal: 4 parts, Community Bank Highett
Grants won: Frankston, Kingston, Bayside
Fundraising: Grill’d, Westfield Southland Xmas wrapping stalls, Onyx Café Cheltenham and Johnny Vegas, People’s Choice Raffle, Annual Online auction
Recognition:
Nomination for Community Event of the Year: Bayside Council
Certificate of Appreciation through the NFP Annual Treasurer’s Awards: Annie Nelson: Treasurer
Caulfield Local Hero Award: Deb Brook
Donors:
Our Kitchen Table, Chilli Promotions, Good Vibe Society, Socks 4 Support, Officeworks, CWA Bayside, Mentone, Boss Gym, Sandringham Primary School: Community in Place team, Haileybury College,Bay Quilters,Brad Roweswell MP, Nick Staikos MP,Kogo, 5th Brighton Guides, Thalassemia & Sickle Cell Australia, CWA Bayside, CWA Bentleigh Day Branch, CWA Mentone, Lions Club Beaumaris, Lions Club Moorabin, Lions Club Sandringham, Firbank College, Colgate-Palmolive, SportsBet, South East Water,Pye Photo
Donation Stations
Dingley Village Neighborhood Centre, Parkdale Pantry, Moorleigh Community Village
