Capturing the meaning of the season in Hobsons Bay
Hobsons Bay City Council and Hobsons Bay Libraries’ annual food and toy drive returns this year with the community invited to give what they can to assist someone in need.
Mayor of Hobson Bay Cr Peter Hemphill said the food and toy drive had an even more special meaning this year, with many in the community doing it tough from two years of on-off lockdowns.
“The annual food and toy collection not only supports those in our community who truly need it leading into the festive season, but also provides us with an opportunity to reconnect with each other as a community,” said Cr Hemphill.
“Throughout COVID, we’ve shown that the ‘Hobsons Bay Community has Heart’ and there’s a sense of hope and community spirit attached to this program. Each year we are so proud of the support it receives from the generous and caring people of Hobsons Bay.”
Cr Hemphill acknowledged that the capacity to give may be challenging for some this year, but every little bit helps.
“We have teamed up with the Hobsons Bay Inter-Agency Network to welcome any donation of non-perishable food items with an expiry date of 2022 and beyond, as well as any new, unwrapped presents suitable for children aged up to 15,” said Cr Hemphill.
Donations will be accepted until Thursday 16 December with items distributed to local families in need by West Welcome Wagon and local emergency relief providers.
To donate, drop off points are located at:
- Altona Library
- Altona Meadows Library
- Altona North Community Library
- Hobsons Bay Civic Centre in Altona
- Laverton Community Children’s Centre
- Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre in Altona
- Latitude Directions for Young People in Westona
- Newport Library (from Wednesday 1 December)
- Newport Outlets Co-operative Neighbourhood House Ltd & Newport Community Education Centre
- South Kingsville Community Centre
- Williamstown Library
Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, operating times may vary. Check with each donation point for drop-off times. Visit http://libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au for more information.
These are the agencies that are partnering to distribute your donations:
Laverton Community Integrated Services (LCIS)
LCIS is proud to provide both emergency relief and crisis intervention services for residents of Hobsons Bay. Their program supports people experiencing food insecurity by way of fresh food parcels and/or supermarket vouchers.
Latitude Directions for Young People
Over the past year, Latitude has supported more than 200 young people at risk of/or experiencing homelessness in Hobsons Bay and Moonee Valley, and continues to provide food relief to the most vulnerable young people in our community. This Christmas, they will be delivering special hampers to kids who need it the most.
Salvation Army Altona
The Salvation Army provides a range of services in Hobsons Bay including emergency food relief and material aid. They provide food and hampers to people from their site in Altona and also via a home delivery service in emergency situations.
St Vincent de Paul
St Vincent de Paul provide material aid and emergency relief to the Altona, Altona Meadows, Laverton, Newport, Williamstown areas. On average they visit about 80 families each month and expect to be extremely busy over the Christmas period providing support to vulnerable families in Hobsons Bay.
West Welcome WagonWest Welcome Wagon is a volunteer run not-for-profit dedicated to providing material aid and support to asylum seekers in Melbourne’s west. They assist more than 500 households of asylum seekers, from approximately 30 different countries, with good quality donated items such as furniture, bedding, clothing, children’s toys, appliances and kitchenware.