Red Shield Appeal funding keeps wheels turning at Norwest
Red Shield Appeal funding keeps wheels turning at Norwest
18 May 2022
Salvation Army Hope Markets in Sydney’s north-west support around 400 people a month.
As leadership teams of churches, clubs and other organisations know, while it’s amazing to receive one-off funding to purchase something like a van, what’s often crippling is the ongoing running costs of such ‘one-off’ donation acquisitions.
Norwest Salvos in Sydney’s north-west had that very issue. Salvation Army expressions in the region work together to operate two Hope Markets that support around 60 families (400 people) a week.
The Salvos truck is used regularly to pick up donations, including pallets of food, and deliver this food to people in the area who are isolated due to mental or physical health issues or COVID-19.
“It costs us $25,000 a year to operate the truck and the van,” said Norwest Team Member Liam Holland. “And if we don’t have the truck and the van, we can’t collect donated food and then distribute it to people in need.”
The operation of the vehicles seems more of a practical expense than anything else. Yet, providing necessities like food and other goods is the start of key relationships between the Salvos in the area and the local community.
“Red Shield Appeal funds help us meet the direct need and fill gaps, but then the people – Salvos personnel and our volunteers – help connect with people in relationship, which is even more vital,” said Liam.
Another key area in the Norwest where Red Shield Appeal funds are key is supporting families connected with Project CSC.
Project CSC (Connect, Support, Community) supports families of children with medically complex or additional needs practically, socially, spiritually and emotionally within Sydney’s Hills District and further into the north-west Sydney corridor.
“The Red Shield Appeal funds allow us to target our support,” said Liam, who is also Team Leader of Project CSC. “That might be a Project CSC program to help engage siblings of children with special needs so that they can go and have fun as kids. It’s our meals-at-short-notice service where we take meals to the hospital to families who are in need. It’s our medication support where families might be paying out $800 a month for medication, and we might be able to help pay $100 towards that.”
Knowing what money is available through Red Shield Appeal funding coming back to local communities allows churches and areas to plan, allocate, and target their assistance and care for the people they support. “We have more opportunities now,” says Liam.
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