Our region has many organisations that provide support to people who are experiencing challenging times. These are organisations that can share your experience and provide both care and friendship.
Vasey RSL Care Launches Food Drive to Support Vulnerable Australians
Vasey RSL Care
Vasey RSL Care is taking action for Homelessness Week (4–10 August) by launching a food drive to support individuals experiencing financial hardship, including vulnerable veterans and older Australians.
With the rising cost of living pushing more people to the brink, the initiative will collect non-perishable items from the public to be packed into hampers and distributed across Vasey RSL Care communities and local homelessness services.
Vasey RSL Care CEO Janna Voloshin said ‘We know people are doing it tough at the moment and that veterans are disproportionately impacted by homelessness. Through this initiative, we hope to bring practical support and a message of care to those who need it most.’
From 21 July, items that can be donated include canned goods, breakfast cereals, pasta, noodles, rice, long life milk, tea, coffee, spreads, muesli bars, biscuits, shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
The food drive will run from 21 July to 8 August, with drop-off points at five Vasey RSL Care locations, see below.
Vasey RSL Care drop-off points:
- Central Office – 172 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, VIC, 3122
- Brighton Residential Aged Care – 21 Downes Ave, Brighton, VIC, 3186
- Brighton East Residential Aged Care – 709-723 Hawthorn Road, VIC, 3187
- Bundoora Residential Aged Care – 5-7 Tower Ave, Bundoora, VIC, 3083
- Frankston South Residential Aged Care – 85 Overport Road, Frankston South, VIC, 3199
Together, we can provide hope and support for those who need a hand.
East Burwood Care
The Burwood Heights Uniting Church, with the support of the Anglican Church of The Ascension in Burwood East, has responded to the decision of Uniting VicTas to withdraw from their site in East Burwood by initiating a new model of their outreach. Known as East Burwood Care, it will operate from the same location, at the East Burwood Centre on the corner of Burwood Highway and Blackburn Road, Burwood East.
Food Assistance
The focus will be on a continuation of the Food Assistance service which has been operating for many years. Opening hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am to 2pm, offering help to people in our community who are facing hardship.
We are grateful to the churches, organizations and individual people who support the work with donations of food items, and financial contributions that are used to purchase extra supplies and supermarket vouchers. We also collect clothing and warm blankets.
East Burwood Care is a community outreach of the congregations of the two churches. To find out more, including information about ways to make donations, go the East Burwood Care website at www.ebcare.org.au or visit us at 220 Burwood Highway, Burwood East 3151 (enter from Blackburn Road).
Balwyn Evergreen Centre
We’re here to help you stay active, healthy and socially connected
Do you want to make new friends, keep active and stay socially connected? Then Balwyn Evergreen Centre is the place for you. We’re a dynamic and caring community offering a range of activities for seniors in and around Boroondara.
Designed to support seniors and their carers, Balwyn Evergreen Centre ensures you, or your family members, can live independently within a warm and supportive community.
To read more about the work of Balwyn Evergreen Centre go here or to their website here.
Burwood Chatworks – new Umbrella Dementia Café in East Burwood
Glenys Grant
Burwood Chatworks, a new Umbrella Dementia Café (UDC) has opened at Burwood Brickworks. It caters for individuals and their family care-partners living with dementia. The group will meet every 2nd and 4th Wednesday to share stories, have a laugh, support each other and meet new, non-judgemental friends.
Umbrella Dementia Cafés support and empower couples, families and people in the community living with dementia. This latest initiative has been achieved through collaboration with Frasers Property, Australia, owners of Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre, with whom UDC share a passion to build responsive and inclusive community environments.
If you require any further information about the Umbrella Dementia Cafes, email enquiries@UmbrellaDementiaCafes.com.au or phone 0401 364 696. Go to their website at https://umbrelladementiacafes.com.au
Kew’s new learning and lifestyle hub for locals with disability
At Endeavour Foundation’s new Learning and Lifestyle hub in Kew, activities on offer include cooking, social engagements, fitness options, literacy and numeracy life skills programs, as well as access to Virtual Reality, video Thrive programs, and creative arts activities.
Located in the Kew Library, the new hub will open every Wednesday, supporting people to engage, learn and grow in their own time, and at their own pace.
To find out more about Endeavour Foundation and its services, call 1800 112 112, or go to endeavour.com.au.
Photo: credit Endeavour Foundation. Cutting ribbon – L to R Grant and Kylie (Kew L&L participants), Jess Wilson MP, Beverley Knowles (member on EF Board of Directors)
Left Write Hook
In Australia, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys experience sexual abuse before the age of 18. The numbers are staggering, and one Melbourne-based charity is refusing to let this uncomfortable social issue hide in the shadows.
Left Write Hook runs an 8 week trauma recovery program that uses creative writing and non-contact boxing to empower survivors of childhood sexual abuse to reclaim their lives.
Eight Manningham residents are currently taking part in the program, which has been made possible thanks to the support of Manningham Council, Frank Bianco Boxing and Chickick fitness.
The charity hopes to secure future funding to run regular programs in the Manningham area and is continuing to seek expressions of interest from Manningham council residents who may be interested in taking part in future programs or training to run more programs in the area.
Left Write Hook started at a grassroots level in Ferntree Gully in 2019 and has since been the subject of an award-winning documentary film and a large-scale research trial at the University of Melbourne.
There are over 600 people on the waitlist for the Left Write Hook program, which is open to women and gender-diverse survivors and will soon be expanding to run men’s programs and LGBTQIA+ specific programs.
Anyone interested in joining a future program or becoming a trainer should visit the Left Write Hook website for more information: leftwritehook.org
Pathways for Carers Boroondara
Hawthorn Community House has established a new support group in Boroondara, providing unpaid carers with an opportunity to connect with others and receive support, services, and resources.
Meeting Location:
Hawthorn Community House
32 Henry St
Hawthorn VIC 3122
Time:
9.45am for a 10am start
Contact:
Carolyn Cuming on 9819 2629 or info@hch.org.au
For more information, carers can contact Hawthorn Community House on 9819 2629 or info@hch.org.au. For more information on the program, visit www.pathwaysforcarers.com.au
The Inclusion Foundation
A for purpose-charity that champions the inclusion of people with Down syndrome. We see an inclusive world where people with Down syndrome are equal, active and respected members of society. Together, we stand proud, we raise our hands in the air, and we say to society, to business, to governments, to everyone, and to anyone… Count me in!
Welcome to the Box Hill Prostate Cancer Support Group
We are a peer group offering support and information for men and their families affected by prostate cancer. We provide you with opportunities to meet men who are going through the same thing as you and talk about our shared experiences so that you feel less isolated and alone.
Please click here for contact details.
Eastern Emergency Relief Network (EERN)
EERN has been run by volunteers in the east of Melbourne for more than 25 years. It picks up donated furniture and other household items, checks them and places them in a warehouse in Mitcham. Local welfare agencies then bring people and families in need to select items, free of any cost.
Karinya Counselling Center
We are a not-for-profit organisation, with a vision for providing high quality, low-cost services to people in need.
Mental wellbeing continues to be a high need area in current, challenging times. However, the cost of counselling support can prevent many families and individuals accessing the help they need.
At Karinya we have low fees – approximately half that of private consultants. We also offer a further concessional rate for those on concession cards. And we can discuss and negotiate individual fees for people in financial hardship. Karinya counselling services include male and female counsellors, play therapy and creative arts therapy.
To find out more about Karinya Counselling Centre, click here.
StreetSmart Australia
The team at StreetSmart believe everyone should have a safe and secure place to call home. Funds raised through our innovative campaigns are distributed through our Community Grants and Material Aid Programs, often privileging locality where donations are fed back into projects as close to where they are raised as possible, and target smaller services who work to support people experiencing homelessness. Since it was founded in 2003, StreetSmart has distributed more than $12 million to over 1,100 local organisations across Australia.
W: www.streetsmartaustralia.org
The Orange Door
The Orange Door is a free service for adults, children and young people who are experiencing or have experienced family violence and families who need extra support with the care of children. To find our more, go to their website here.
The Box Hill Community Bakehouse
The Box Hill Community Bakehouse rescues food from a range of bakeries across Whitehorse, Boroondara and Manningham and provides this food (including bread, baked goods, fresh produce and other items) free to the local community with a smile and without question.
The Bakehouse takes place at 3 Ellingworth Pde, Box Hill every Thursday at 1:30-2:30pm and every Saturday at 7:30-8:30am. You can follow the Bakehouse at https://www.facebook.com/boxhillbakehouse
The Nappy Collective
A community based, not for profit run mostly by volunteers collecting and redistributing nappies to families in crisis. Financial donations to The Nappy Collective support the work of diverting all donated nappies to families that need it most and are tax deductible. Go to their website here for more information.
Eastern Area Multiple Birth Association (EAMBA)
EAMBA provides communication, support and services to parents of multiples (twins, triplets, quadruplets, more) within the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. We have 120 member families in the Maroondah, Yarra Ranges, City of Knox, Whitehorse and Manningham areas. Our funding comes from membership fees, donations, fundraising and grants.
Our mission
We aim to bring a sense of belonging, provide practical advice and resources, and give emotional support for those raising multiples. We do this through a Facebook group, member only events, playgroups and more. To find out more about EAMBA, go here: https://eamba.amba.org.au/.
MUC Knitters
Manningham Uniting Church and Community Centre
109 Wood St, Templestowe
Every Month from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Ladies with a common interest in knitting come together to create warm garments and soft toys for newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers and enjoy afternoon tea together. Everyone is welcome to attend, knitter or not!
Can’t attend, but are a keen knitter? Or have an abundance of wool? Feel free to download the square knitting pattern and knit away from home, and then drop in your squares in at the Manningham Uniting Church & Community Centre to the joined together to make blankets.
If you have any spare wool, you can drop it off at the Manningham Uniting Church and Community Centre, and your wool will be utilised in the creation of warm garments and soft toys.
Contact Helen on 03 9846 2012; info@manninghamuc.org