Woodend Neighbourhood House will be able to help more locals this Christmas, thanks to a generous donation from the craft groups at Gemlife Woodend.
Susan Lawson runs Gemlife’s weekly mosaic class, and the group has been busy producing mosaic pots, plates and decorative ornaments all year.
“We’ve had lots of interest in our mosaics, so we decided to set up a craft market to sell our wares,” she said.
“We invited several other crafters to join us and were appreciative of their participation. We wanted to find a way to support our local community, so when we saw the Reverse Advent Calendar Appeal at the Woodend Neighbourhood House, we knew this was the perfect cause for our donation.”
The craft market raised $850, which will go directly to supporting those in the Woodend community in need this Christmas.
This is the second year the Woodend Neighbourhood House has run a Reverse Advent Calendar Appeal, with more than 40 boxes going out to generous locals to fill.
Unlike a regular advent calendar where the focus is on receiving a treat every day, the reverse advent calendar encourages participants to place an item a day into the box in the lead up to Christmas (non-perishable food, toiletries, toys, books, or a Christmas treat).
After 20 days, the filled reverse advent calendar is returned to the Woodend Neighbourhood House where it is shared with people in the community experiencing food insecurity and hardship.
Woodend Neighbourhood House manager, Melissa Baker, said the local community had been generous with their donations.
“Christmas is traditionally a time for celebration, and we want to help as many people as possible enjoy the festive season,” she said.
“The boxes we’ve received so far are fantastic, and this cash donation from Gemlife Woodend will enable us to purchase more items to fill more reverse advent calendar boxes.
“We never doubted the Woodend community in their generosity of spirit, and we are so grateful to everyone who has supported our Reverse Advent Calendar Appeal this year.”
It’s not too late to get involved in the appeal, with the Woodend Neighbourhood House taking donations up until December 20.
The Neighbourhood House also continues to take referrals for those in the community experiencing food insecurity and hardship.
For more information about the Reverse Advent Calendar Appeal, stop by Woodend Neighbourhood House or call 5427 1845 Monday to Friday between 9am and 3pm.
