After a successful gathering at Ramlegh Community Centre for its Walk the Talk Wellness Conference, the Andres Pancha Anchor Community is taking it a step further, with a winter coat drive organised for this coming weekend.
Charlene Deldio, treasurer and one of the directors of the charity, said that as the weather gets colder, the upcoming coat drive is “really about getting some warm clothes, jackets and coats to those in need”.
“APAC started as a way to help the homeless, especially youth who are at risk of homelessness, and connect them with the wider community to make sure that nobody falls through the system.
“But if they happen to do so, we’re there to help them; so we want to collect as many coats as possible, and then we’re going to drop them off to Off Your Back,” she said.
The coat drive will be held this coming weekend, on Sunday, 6 July from 11am to 2pm, at Guru Nanak Lake / Berwick Springs Lake, Narre Warren South.
Off Your Back has been in operation for over two decades, and has a special focus on its winter coat drives that involve school collections to company contributions.
For Charlene, there is importance when it comes to lending that helping hand through warm clothing, but to “also get the word out there”.
“I think it’s important for people to know that not just if they need help, but also that there are resources out there that can help them.
“At the same time, there are resources that can help connect them to those that can help; Off Your Back is bigger than us, but people might not know them in this local capacity.
“So we really want to help connect with our local community to these resources that can help them, and others,” she said.
Additional information on this event will be added when available.
For more information on APAC, visit apacommunity.org.au
