By Christie MannTuesday 30 May 201796five BreakfastLifeReading Time: 2 minutes
Hold your shields up…Army shields that is! Along with the highly anticipated State of Origin game, is the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal, and 96five’s Ken, Nicki, and Steve sat down with Salvo’s own Lieutenant Colonel David Godkin to discuss how you can get involved.
David shared with the team that the Salvation Army or ‘Salvos’ had their annual door-knock appeal last weekend, and the community’s reaction was overwhelmingly positive. “It’s going really, really well… had fantastic support from the public, as always, and lots of support from people coming out an helping us collect too,” Lt-Col Godkin said.
The Lieutenant Colonel also shared the heart-warming sentiment that every year the Salvos get hundreds of school kids volunteering hours of their time for the cause. “It’s just a great response,” David said of the children, “We’re very grateful to the community for everything that they do to support the Salvos.”
Collecting for those in need
Godkin shared that his team recently released an economic social impact survey, interviewing over 1,400 people. The survey revealed that nearly 69% of people helped by Salvation Army are not getting enough food to eat, and nearly one in four cannot afford three meals a day for their children.
“It’s a daily challenge for them,” Godkin said, “They’re living under extreme housing stress…and a lot of the single parents are hardest hit. Some of those single parents are living on barely $14 per day. That’s just not enough.”
Lt-Col Godkin said that the result of this financial distress means that children aren’t getting the nutritious foods that they need.
How to Help
So how can we get out and help?
Those looking to volunteer their time can sign up to volunteer online at salvo.org.au. If you can’t spare you time but can spare some cash, you can also give through the site or in person at any Westpac branch.
“Not everyone’s able to get out and collect or help us volunteer, but if they’re able to donate that would be just fantastic,” Godkin said, “When you support the Salvos, you give hope where it’s needed the most.”
In addition to the standard means of donation, to celebrate the upcoming State of Origin game, you can text QLD to 19992769 to donate $5 towards the Red Shield Appeal.
Making a plan to donate
96five’s Ken Green proposed that families ban together to help, saying, “What if every [donating] family member gave $15? Is that a good, sizable donation?”
David replied, “That’s a perfect size for a donation really. When you think about it, a $15 donation, that’s a couple cups of coffee. Most of us can afford that.”
What can you do to help others around you? Whether it is a donation of time, money, or even word of mouth, we all have the power to make a change for our community. Let’s make a plan to give today!