Through the support of the community, Tatura Community House delivered more than 60 Christmas hampers of donated goods to those who needed it most on December 20.
These deliveries also included toys and gifts donated by the members of the Hill Top Golf and Country Club.
Tatura Community House manager Leanne Bullard said the hope was to reach 65 households that were doing it a bit tough this Christmas.
“The hampers have festive food and groceries,” Ms Bullard said, “To give them a bit of a helping hand for Christmas.
“The community has really got on board.”
Volunteers from the Tatura community, Lions Club of Tatura, Generations Op Shop and Vinnies participated in the effort.
Tatura Community House handed over some of the hampers to Vinnies so it could deliver them to people in its relief networks.
The community house members do not know who the people are that Vinnies helped; it was enough that the community house could help fill a need.
“We don’t need to know,” Tatura Community House’s Nadine Pichler said.
The project was inspired by a concept Tatura resident Mandy Oakes found on Facebook.
Three generations of the Oakes family have participated in the reverse Advent calendar project since its inception, including Mandy Oakes’ daughter Louise, and her parents Iris and Graeme.
The other Tatura Community House volunteers who got involved this year were Doug Tuhan, Helen Hoskins, Leanne Bullard, Nadine Pichler and Roisin Powles.
The way the project works is members of the community come and pick up a donation box in the lead-up to Christmas and fill it with treats and essentials for people doing it tough. These could include non-perishables like canned food and UHT milk, hygiene products and toiletries, and toys.
The hampers are targeted at different demographics including older people, young families and couples.
The hampers are also given to those who are living alone, isolated, or to help a family that has been caring for a sick relative.
The volunteers who organise and deliver these hampers in the lead-up to Christmas don’t expect anything in return, and do it out of the kindness of their hearts.
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