The Greater Shepparton Foundation builds partnerships and collaborations to connect the needs of the local community with essential resources and skills to tackle and disrupt the cycle of disadvantage. The Foundation Features series will help shine a light on those driving change through innovative initiatives, as well as highlight community organisations that align with the foundation’s purpose.
I have heard the term “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” used countless times in the past week as I speak with philanthropic organisations, funding partners, and even a councillor from a flood-affected region in NSW.
But to our community, it is a sprint. A sprint to pump water out of water-logged homes so people can safely return.
A sprint to ensure the hungry have food. A sprint to deliver medicine, dump destroyed household items, strip back plaster. A sprint against mould. A sprint against more rain.
And in this balance between ‘marathon’ and ‘sprint’ we have community, stepping up in every way to support.
We saw it with the Mooroopna Football Netball Club rallying 150 volunteers to clean up the town.
We saw it with GV Cares and FoodShare volunteers packing up to 700 boxes of food a day for those relying on these essential services.
It is something we, as a community, are very good at. We pull together to support those in desperate need and in times of crisis.
Giz A Break is one of many organisations that has ‘stepped up’ during the sprint. Armed with four-wheel drives capable of safely navigating potholes and water on roads, the team of volunteers and supporting organisations travelled 2000km to deliver food relief and shuttle families and pets from their homes to relief centres.
In any normal day Giz A Break would be hosting off-road adventures that build resilience, enhance quality of life, and improve health for young people.
Being able to support those organisations who have directed their focus on flood response is an important way Greater Shepparton Foundation can channel donations towards the flood efforts of our community.
There is a lot of work still to be done.
Greater Shepparton Foundation has established the Greater Shepparton Community Flood Emergency campaign to raise funds to support community-driven recovery and response efforts now and into the future.
Our learnings from discussions with other flood-impacted communities is that we need a lot of funding and co-ordination between the relevant agencies to get the best long-term outcomes.
That is what Greater Shepparton Foundation is working towards, collaborating with our partners to achieve the best long-term outcomes for the community.
We will continue to identify strategies and projects each step along the way with the ability to jump in and help where we can make the greatest impact.
If you would like to make a tax-deductable donation to the Greater Shepparton Community Flood Emergency campaign, we wholeheartedly welcome your support.
Donations can be made via Paypal on our website www.greatershepparton.foundation or for larger donations that require an invoice or those wishing to fundraise for the cause, please contact amanda@greatershepparton.foundation
Until next time,
Amanda McCulloch
Executive officer, Greater Shepparton Foundation