Matching non-food essentials at speed and scale is what we do at Good360, but sometimes a project happens so fast we surprise ourselves, as happened recently when the community of Moree needed our help, proving it really does take a village to create positive community change.
Early November, when most of NSW thought the worst of the recent COVID-19 outbreak was behind them, an outbreak occurred in the North West of NSW in Moree, and 98% of cases were Indigenous people.
The supermarket shelves were soon cleared of essentials such as cleaning products and hand sanitiser and if you could find a mask it was unaffordable. Upwards of 500 households were affected and forced into isolation at home, either having a positive case or as a close contact. The community needed help and not just with food.
It started with a phone call from the Department of Communities and Justice, who had heard about Good360 from a presentation to funded services, and an introduction to Belinda Pring at Moree Family Support , who was working with a team on the ground to support vulnerable residents in the area. Belinda and her team had a relatively small budget to support the community and was concerned it wouldn’t stretch far enough to meet the demand, until she heard about Good360.
Within 3 days, 259,000 items of essentials including masks, KOH cleaning products and hand sanitiser, plus some LEGO, books and kitchen items, almost 12 pallets worth, were dispatched from the Good360 ReDistribution Centre in Smithfield Sydney, and received in Moree. Moree Plains Shire Council stepped up, and accepted delivery at the Council Depot, which arrived 3 days earlier than expected.
The team at Moree Family Support got busy, and 5 days later, including the weekend, customised packages were delivered across the Moree area to not only meet basic needs but send some care and joy in tough times.
It took a village, and the project demonstrated the best of a community and what they can achieve when they come together. We know Frances and Belinda had plenty of help, and we wish we could acknowledge and thank all the people involved in this project. Thank you for letting Good360 work with you to #makegoodhappen.
You can learn more about how Good360 approaches disaster recovery and how you can get involved on our website.
