Well, what a crazy couple of months. We hope this email finds you and your loved ones safe and well.
As an essential service, our doors have stayed open as we juggled through the various restrictions at each stage. After the initial uncertainty, we’re feeling like we’ve found our mask-wearing, social distanced groove! Right now, we are continuing to provide between 6-7 children a day with a bundle of essential clothing, nappies, or nursery item.
The Case Workers we partner with are telling us that families are struggling. The uncertainty of job loss, hospitality closures and home-schooling is impacting children right across the Coast. We are working to help as many children as we can, in a way that supports their individual needs. Your help to supply practical donations and financial generosity continues to keep us going – and we can’t thank you enough.
Drop Off Locations – Open during Lockdown & Online Orders
One of our biggest worries at the start of lockdown, was that our supply of incredible community donations was reducing, and quickly. A number of our normal drop off locations are closed to the public due to CoVid restrictions. With the wonderful support from some local businesses, we have organised new drop off sites you can use while doing your essential shopping or exercise – which are safe, convenient and meet public health orders.
Where to drop off your donations
You can take your donations to one of the following locations:
- Westfield Tuggerah – donation box near Target
- Parklife Café at Rotary Park, Terrigal (Clothing, nappies and toiletries only – no bulky items; and only available to drop off during the café opening hours from 8-2)
- Toukley Newsagency – 30 Canton Beach Road, Toukley (no bulky items)
- Wyoming Community Centre (Monday – Thurs only)
Could you do an online order?
The number of lockdown online orders sent directly to us, has well and truly blown us away. And its introduced us to this wonderful way for our community to continue to support disadvantaged children. If you’re in a position to do so, and would like to send us an online order of items we’re in need of, we’d love that! Any clothing, nappies or toiletries you see on sale are always wonderful to receive, we’re always searching for boys clothing aged 4-6 and undies, socks & PJs for all ages.
Please send your online order to: We Care Connect C/O WEC Group, Level 1, 98 Pacific Highway, Wyong, NSW 2259. This is our wonderful Board Treasurer’s office, not the We Care address.
Appreciation for our volunteer team
We are so fortunate to have this incredible volunteer group who is as committed as ever to helping local disadvantaged children.
One of our corporate supporters, the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation, recently posted about We Care Connect and said “Doing good is what these volunteers do best”, we couldn’t agree more!
During CoVid, we aren’t able to take on any new volunteers – but we’d love to see some new faces once lockdown lifts.
Now you can see us coming – with Penny & Sam on our van
Our WOW van, provided by Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation and finished off with this fabulous design by Signarama Maitland is on the road! Give us a wave if you see us out and about all over the Coast and Newcastle, collecting your donations and delivering our care packages to family support workers.
And we now have names for our two We Care village characters: Penny & Sam. Derryck, our CEO, instantly knew the girl’s name was Penny. And after some volunteer suggestions and a social media vote, the boy’s name is Sam!
What we need next…
It’s hard to believe that Spring starts tomorrow (yay!), so we’re starting to pack away the winter clothes and prepare for warmer weather. As well as Summer clothing, we also need prams at the moment, particularly double prams. If you have a great condition pram your little ones have grown out of, don’t leave it in the garage to go rusty, donate it to us!
Thank you for believing in a world without poverty and disadvantage. We’re grateful to do this work alongside supporters like you.
The We Care Team x
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