A brief overview of another suuuuper busy quarter. Thank you once more to our amazing community and all our donors. Together we have helped thousands in need the right way.
This quarter, we provided much needed comfort packs for children fleeing domestic violence to: Good Shepherd Inn, Emerge, SECASA, Family Life Sandringham & The Orange Door Dandenong & Frankston.
Thanks to the money raised from Rotary Club of Brighton’s epic bike ride, we were also able to provide SECASA with much needed art therapy packs & counselling packs. Possibly a whole years worth!
BCER donated a vast amount of goods to RizeUp for families relocating due to domestic violence . For the elderly we donated comfort packs from Kingston Council's generous grant to Mercy Place Nixon House & Northcliff Lodge. Then in December we once more gave comfort packs and other Christmas goodies to the residents and care staff at Fairway Bayside Aged Care. We also provided the Humble Mission in the city a multitude of items for rough sleepers & homeless they support. This included new men’s & women’s polo shirts and Christmas packs for 100.
In other areas the wonderful Margaret Malloch Walker co ordinated and delivered a massive amount of children’s clothing to Mums Supporting Families in Need. Connect Health & Community needed our community's support across a few weeks for three families who were under their care (some homeless) and had to isolate due to COVID. We also provided more donations to The Avalon Centre, BayCISS and a huge last minute toy drive for Chelsea Community Support for approximately 100 children in need, as well as a massive food drive with 6 deliveries to Grace Heart Community Church who we also raised $1,755 for to go toward fresh produce for those they feed.
The generous & caring staff at Coles in Bentleigh held a food drive for them that was delivered just before Xmas. All up we estimate Grace Heart Community Church now has enough food to feed those in need for approximately 4 months!
We won more grants too! Frankston Council , Kingston Council, the Federal government & Community Bank Highett were all grantors in the past 1/4. Then there’s Westfield Local Hero’s grant & the collection jar at Grill’d Southland which were finalised too!
Topping it off we ran the Xmas gift wrapping stall at Westfield Southland for 5 days in the lead up to Xmas. It was amazing to be among people & see the complex come to life once more. Our volunteers had a ball & we all met some wonderful new people. As a parting surprise gift for 2021 we received a very generous donation from Trinity Uniting Church in Brighton & another amazing unexpected donation we will announce when given the green light.
This year is already shaping up to be another huge year with 4 grants still to be fulfilled plus other unknown emergency relief requests. We will start our comfort packs for children fleeing domestic violence early in the year as there is sadly an ongoing need.
We can not thank our amazing community & volunteers enough for your ongoing support that enables BCER to help thousands of people in need the right way with the right goods. The idea for BCER was conceived new years eve 2019 & what a whirlwind 2 years it’s been! Who’d have thought we’d become a charity & continue helping such a diverse range of those in need. We have some exciting plans for 2022 so please join in where you like & help spread the word.
It truly does take a village...