Five ways to give back this winter

Posted on 1 August, 2017

When I was small, one of my favourite bedtime stories – but also undoubtedly the most heart-wrenching – was The Little Match Girl.

You’ve probably been read this Hans Christian Andersen classic before, but if you need to be reminded, it tells the story of a poverty-stricken little girl selling matchsticks on a freezing New Year’s Eve. She takes shelter in an alley, and lights a single match to warm herself, seeing visions of happiness and warmth.

There is perhaps nothing more evocative of loneliness and abandonment than the cold, and it’s for this reason that we should remember those most in need during winter. Just as the story of The Little Match Girl spoke to the compassion of your childhood self, we hope this article will encourage you to find some ways to give to your local community in the shiver-inducing Canberra winter.

Bake for Babies

Co-ordinated by the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation (NICF), Bake for Babies is a fundraising initiative launched with the aim of funding vital medical equipment, research and nurse education in the Canberra region. Bake for Babies invites Canberrans to host a bake sale for NICF between July and August, or to encourage that friend who never cooks to tie on their apron and do the Bake Challenge, allowing you to bring out your inner food critic and judge their creations. If you would like to get involved, log on to the NICF website at www.newborn.org.au/bakeforbabies to register and download a kit.

St Vincent de Paul Society Blanket Drive

The annual Vinnies Blanket Drive is on again in 2017! Do you have extra blankets at home? Or can you spare a few dollars to buy one? If so, this is the perfect opportunity to give back to the local Canberra community in a very easy way. The Canberra Night Patrol is staffed by 280 volunteers who serve up to 1,000 homeless and at-risk people per month. Along with food and drink, the Patrol also provides donated clothing and hygiene packs.

Any blankets, warm clothes, sleeping bags or hygiene packs (including deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap) will go straight to Canberrans in need during these frozen, wintery nights.

Drop off anything you have at your local Vinnies branch or find more information here.

Pink’s Rebel Cause

A social initiative pioneered by Alicia Xyrakis of Rebel Muse and Jane Pettersen of Pink Ink, Pink’s Rebel Cause provides winter coats to Canberran women in need. Both businesses focus on Canberra women, but this program reaches out to women who can’t afford to browse the racks for the latest season’s coat.

To support women less fortunate, all you need to do is dig out that old coat you never wear (as long as it’s clean, warm and good quality) and drop it off between now and 13 August at Pink Ink (130/24 Lonsdale Street, Braddon), Rebel Muse (56/30 Lonsdale Street, Braddon) or Baby Pink (Unit 1, Deakin Court, Deakin). The best part? Your generosity will be rewarded with a $50 gift voucher for one of the participating stores.

The best part? Your generosity will be rewarded with a $50 gift voucher for one of the participating stores.

Garema Place Soup Kitchen

Early this year, Stanislawa Dabrowski was in the Canberra media spotlight after her Soup Kitchen van clipped a railing on Hindmarsh Drive in January. The 91-year-old and her grandson, Joshua Kenworthy – who has been helping her in the soup kitchen since he was five years old – launched a campaign to purchase a new van. The kitchen serves food in Garema Place and delivers food to clients of a local Methadone clinic. Stanislawa’s work is vital to supporting those in need of a hot meal on chilly Canberra nights, with this inspiring woman up at 4am every day until 9pm, six days a week.

You can still donate to the ongoing operation of the soup kitchen here. Your spare change can provide a warm meal for a Canberran in need, and support Stanislawa’s three-decade long mission.

LAUGH FOR A GOOD CAUSE

For women who have experienced domestic or family violence, winter can mean trying to keep a family running without a stable place to live at short notice. For these women, organisations like the Domestic Violence Crisis Service (DVCS) ACT and Toora Women’s Inc. are everything.

The Fearless Gala, a night of “hilarity for charity” will open up the domestic violence discussion to the broader community on Thursday 7 September.

Recruiting some of Australian comedy’s finest, the Gala’s founder and comedian Juliet Moody has a new goal of raising $40,000 for the prevention and support of domestic violence victims with the Gala donating all proceeds to DVCS and Toora Women Inc.

Read more about the Gala and purchase tickets here.

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Your donations can be the warming match to a Canberran in need, and can be a great comfort in these frosty winter days. So, get together your blankets, coats, or put on your chef’s hat and feed your soul this winter!