Red Cross has designated the first week of August as National Homeless Persons’ Week, and decided to hold a free BBQ in a Toowoomba park to raise public awareness of homelessness in our community.
Red Cross case worker Kylie Hopkinson said she had read a newspaper article about the BBQ trailer that Westpac had donated to Global Care, and which had been used to help flood victims in the Lockyer Valley.
“I wish to thank Global Care for the use of the BBQ for our event – it was a great success, and we couldn’t have done it without your support.
“A big thanks too to Global Care Toowoomba’s Joe Casey for cooking on the day – he served up more than 150 meals to about 100 people during the event.”
Global Care National Coordinator Russell Wright said Global Care was always happy to help other aid organisations, and was delighted to be able to offer the Westpac BBQ trailer to Red Cross for its homeless persons’ week event.
Russell said: “Global Care, the disaster relief and social justice arm of Christian Outreach Centre, has a motto of ‘mates helping mates’.
“It doesn’t matter to us whether those ‘mates’ in need are flood or bushfire or cyclone or tsunami victims, or as in this case the homeless, it is our aim to always be there to offer a helping hand to those in need.
“I want to thank Westpac for their generosity in donating the trailer – it happened after ours had been stolen. Westpac heard about it, and offered to give us theirs on the Sunshine Coast.
“We have made very good use of it, and with the original BBQ that was stolen, have helped to feed thousands of flood victims and volunteers throughout the Lockyer Valley and Ipswich/Goodna areas.
“A recent highlight was at the Gatton High School – Joe Casey and his team of some 20 Global Care Toowoomba volunteers provided 800 free sausages – about 80kg - in about 40 minutes, which is 20 sausages a minute.
“Joe thinks that is some kind of a record, including 45 loaves of bread and 10 kg of onions. The trailer made this possible, and the day was – in his words - a ‘fantastic success’.”
The Christian Outreach Centre movement has had a long history of involvement with Westpac, and recently, Westpac and the COC Investment Service concluded a $50 million deal to make Westpac the COCIS wholesale finance provider.
COCIS Manager Peter Geizer said he was delighted to see the long-term association with Westpac continue and strengthen, and paid tribute to Westpac for its public spirited support of Global Care.
“Whether it is a $50 million funding deal or a $20,000 BBQ trailer, I think there is a strong and growing relationship between COC and Westpac, and I would like to pay psrticular tribute to such a large organisation that still has a heart for the hurting and the disadvantaged in our society,” he said.
For further information, visit www.coc.org.au/globalcare
