PALS held a participant-led fundraiser for Backpack Bed for Homeless, which provides special beds for homeless people.
Photo by
Isabelle Harris
Cobram support organisation PALS (Providing All Living Supports) has held a special barbecue fundraiser on August 19 to raise money for Backpack Bed for Homeless.
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Organised by the PALS participants’ events group, the fundraiser will help purchase the specially-designed backpacks to help homeless people stay warm and dry.
PALS client service co-ordinator Kerry Graham explained the event management program participants have organised the fundraiser themselves, including picking out the charity.
She said while they don’t have a specific fund target, they would be happy to sell out of all the sausages or raise $350, which buys 10 backpack beds.
“The guys pretty much decide on what they want to charge and who’s going to have what job... everything is pretty much organised by them,” she said.
She said a staff member first heard about the initiative through a TV ad and thought it would be good if they could fundraise for it.
“We put it across to the participants as ‘with the cold weather we’ve had, everybody else is going home to snuggle up in their nice warm beds and there’s people out there who aren’t quite as lucky as everybody else’,” Kerry said.
“They’ve been excited about it all week to come up and do this and that’s because they don’t really do things like this all the time.”
PALS participant Joshua Francis with PALS' Marianne Kirby, both were on barbecue duty at the fundraiser.
Photo by
Isabelle Harris
Participant Joshua Francis said he thought raising money for Backpack Beds for Homeless was “a really great thing.”
“It’s going to be an amazing thing for them,” he said.
“It was hard work getting everything done... but I think we did an amazing job.”
Backpack Beds for Homeless is a national homelessness charity that distributes backpacks that fold out into a weatherproof and fire-retardant bed and shelter.
The backpacks are distributed through homelessness agencies and other support services to those in need.
For more information on Backpack Bed for Homeless, visit: https://backpackbed.org/au/
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