Club member Alice Pottinger trying out a ShelterBag
A recent Club donation will help provide practical assistance to people in our community who may be sleeping rough.
The Club, working in collaboration with the Winton and Sunrise clubs, recently contributed funding towards the purchase of 43 ShelterBags, which will be distributed by the Salvation Army.
Salvation Army Community Ministries Navigator San Morin attended the 11th August Meeting and spoke to the work the Salvation Army are doing locally.
Each ShelterBag is wind-resistant and fully waterproof, and includes a built-in mattress, an insulated covered hood, and practical storage pockets. Designed to be lightweight and portable, each bag weighs less than 5 kg, can be rolled up to fit inside a locker, and is fitted with carry handles.
Manufactured by the Sheltersuit South Africa Foundation, ShelterBags have been supported by Rotary clubs throughout New Zealand through fundraising efforts to import the bags, together with partnerships with social agencies to distribute them to people in need, including those who may be sleeping rough.
This donation builds on the Club’s annual donation to the Salvation Army, as well as its recent support for the organisation’s food bank operations through Cans for a Cause and the regifting of a processed lamb from the Southland Rotary Raffle.
The initiative also continues the Club’s broader support for emergency accommodation, both financially and through practical assistance, including the construction and landscaping of the two units in Conyers Street operated by the Breathing Space Southland Charitable Trust. Further information about this Club project is available at: https://invercargillrotary.club/Stories/units-provide-breathing-space
Top Photo Credit: Ross Wensley