WIMMERA charities are facing a disturbing shortfall this winter – they don’t have enough supplies of warm clothes for those who need it most.
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Organisations including the Red Cross and Salvation Army are desperately calling for donations of warm, winter-appropriate clothing as supplies in warehouses both locally and across the state run short.
Horsham Red Cross volunteer Paul Henstridge’s words are tough to read.
“We’ve had men come in looking for jackets and it’s saddening to say, ‘sorry, this is all we have’,” he told the Wimmera Mail-Times this week.
“It has come to the point where we had to undress our mannequins to show that we need more stock.”
At a time of year that is particularly difficult for those doing it tough, financially, this limited access to warmth adds a layer of additional pressure that we, the community, can help alleviate.
As Bev Miatke of Horsham’s Christian Emergency Food Centre says in the same story – people were often unaware of the scope of need within their own community.
Her comments come as demand for the centre’s services are also rising during the cooler months.
When was the last time you looked through your wardrobe and really, honestly assessed what’s inside?
Are there items inside your wardrobe that you don’t wear anymore? Maybe you have an old favourite that hasn’t seen the light of day in months, or years?
Maybe there’s even a jacket or jumper that still has its tags but has never quite found its way to your regular rotation.
Why not donate it, so others can benefit?
Just this week, the Centre for Participation, based in Horsham, marked ‘do something day’.
The day was encouraging people to perform random acts of kindness and to think of others and, ultimately, to make them smile.
“It could be as simple as offering to buy someone coffee or putting extra money in the parking meter so the next person does not have to pay,” volunteer program manager Stephanie Thomson said.
What a simple, but lovely, idea.
Let’s extend that great attitude into this weekend and answer the call our charities have issued.
Every bit counts.
Jessica Grimble, editor