Vinnies running community outreach days in Sydney areas hardest hit by COVID

We will be distributing hampers of food and kids’ toys at the following dates and locations – please make a booking for contactless pickup between 10am and 3pm on these days by calling 13 18 12:

• Tuesday 28 September: Harris Park Vinnies Support Centre
  72 Harris St, Harris Park
• Wednesday 6 October: Penrith Vinnies Support Centre
  Suite 7 / 308 High St, Penrith
• Wednesday 13 October: Auburn Vinnies Support Centre
  Auburn Central Shop P7B, corner of Queen Street and Park Road, Auburn
• Wednesday 20 October: Mount Pritchard Vinnies Support Centre
  248 Humphries Rd, Bonnyrigg

Vinnies is holding community outreach days in parts of Sydney worst affected by the pandemic to ensure more people who need help get assistance.

“We will be supplying people in the west and south west with hampers of food and toys for kids,” St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO, Jack de Groot, said.

“We are holding these events to make ourselves available to people in communities hardest hit by COVID and the resulting lockdown.

“To keep things COVID-safe, we are asking people to call and make a booking to come and pick up a hamper from our distribution centres.

“To make a booking, please call 13 18 12.

“We will also be implementing physical distancing measures, providing hand sanitiser, and asking that people check in using NSW Health QR codes and wear masks.

“We’re providing the hampers to anyone in need, whether as a result of COVID or other life events, and we will follow up with people who request it.

“We want to make sure everyone who is in need of assistance can access it and draw attention to the fact that we are here to help.

“The pandemic has made it harder to reach out for assistance and we’re trying to remove that barrier as well, while at the same time doing this in a COVID-safe way,” Mr de Groot said.

“There is an unfair stigma attached to finding yourself not being able to make ends meet, for whatever reason,” St Vincent de Paul Society NSW Vice President Social Justice, Brooke Simmons, said.

“Most times, people have been very unlucky, the sort of bad luck that could happen to any one of us.

“They’ve lost their job, they or someone they care about has been stricken by terrible illness, there’s a significant social or economic upheaval that is completely beyond their control.

“The pandemic presents a situation where people can find themselves in any or all of those situations from a single root cause.

“Our members have spent the last 18 months providing assistance to people, many who’ve come to us for the first time.

“We are all affected by the pandemic but as with just about everything else, the disadvantage it has created has been unevenly distributed.

“And like always, Vinnies is here to help people who need it.

“If you can’t make it to one of our outreach days or don’t live nearby, you can still contact us for assistance on 13 18 12,” Ms Simmons said.

Media contact: Lachlan Jones | 0417 446 430