As we enter the first flush of the warmer part of the year, and thoughts of spring cleans, wardrobe changes and freshening the house begin to beckon, give a thought to helping local charities.

It may well help you decide whether to keep or upgrade your wardrobe, especially with Father's Day around the corner.

Men's clothes and children's toys are always in need but in decent condition. As Peter Milkovic from Vinnies says, “If you wouldn’t buy it, it is not suitable for an op shop.”

Vinnies

Peter surmises men tend to wear their clothes longer, hence their higher demand. Vinnies are always looking for men's jeans, shirts, T-shirts, belts, shoes, jackets and jumpers.

Women's accessories are also very welcome in the warmer seasons, including hats and scarves, jewellery, underwear, shoes and dresses.

Kids clothes are also needed for all ages

Also accepted are books, interior decorations and collectibles, DVD’s and CDs, computer games and toys, camping equipment, blankets, linen and kitchenware.  

Please note that Vinnies does not accept furniture, electrical or safety gear like helmets and baby seats or bicycles.  

Donations are accepted in all Vinnies retail shops during opening hours and at the distribution centre at 18 Centenary Drive, Goonellabah.

Lifeline

Lifeline gladly accepts pre-loved apparel for women, men and children, books, toys and games, homewares and kitchenware, as well as furniture items.

Michael Were of Supporter Engagement says, “With the weather warming up, there is no need to have the winter clothing clutter your wardrobes and house. Lifeline would be very grateful for the donations now and we will store ready for next autumn.

“We have free-of-charge pickup available for furniture and other bulky good items. Please call (02) 6621 8516 to discuss your bulky goods donations and organise a pickup time.

“Our preference is for donations to be delivered to 29 Lancaster Drive, Goonellabah, but smaller quantity donations can be dropped off to our Magellan St shop as well as Ballina, Casino and Byron Bay shops. All our Northern Rivers stores are open seven days for donation drop off and shopping.”

Donations can be made at organisations that would like to support Lifeline. Michael says, “Businesses can support Lifeline by organising a spring-cleaning clothing drive for staff.  

“We will deliver a blue bin or two (just like your residential rubbish bin) to your business to be placed in your team’s common area. Your team fill the bin, and we’ll come back and collect it the following week! Call us on 02 6621 8516 to organise a time that suits you.”

All these charities provide services to the community, as do Lifeline, “All the proceeds from our stores directly support Lifeline’s suicide prevention and crisis support services in the Northern Rivers, including 13 11 14 crisis line phone support.”

Community Gateway

Some charities, such as Community Gateway, have been operating in Lismore for nearly fifty years and are focused on the cost of living. If you are able to support with groceries or fuel vouchers, they are very welcome.

Community Gateway CEO, Jenni Beetson-Mortimer says “As a consequence of rolling disasters in our region, the pandemic, the flood and now a cost of living crisis our clients need more support than ever before. We are seeing an increase in people struggling to pay for the basic costs of living such as food and electricity. Homelessness has increased significantly in our region.”

Jenni says that many of the government funded welfare services have not had an increase in core funding for decades, so it is difficult for us to meet the real need.

“Our emergency relief services provide assistance with food donated by Secondbite and Foodbank. We distribute vouchers for food, medical bills, fuel and energy costs to people in need.”

If you are already thinking about the upcoming festive season, Jenni says there is another way to support families that are struggling coming up to Christmas, “We run an annual Adopt-a-Family-for-Christmas campaign which identifies families in need and relies on the community to donate Christmas hampers and presents for those families to share on Christmas Day.  

“Community members can call our office on (02) 66217397 and ask for the profile of a family in need and drop off their donations to 76 Carrington Street in Lismore.”

It is important to have these vital support networks for those who find themselves struggling. These resources also provide a treasure trove of goods to be found and re-homed, adding to the sustainability of our region.