Anglicare and Yass Rotary Club help make winter a little warmer for local families in need.

Article by Rtn Mandy Carter, Public Image Officer, Rotary Club of Yass and Amy Lanham Anglicare General Manager 

Yass Rotary Club marked National Homelessness Week (1-7 August 2021) with a generous donation to Anglicare’s Homelessness and Housing team at the Rae Burgess Centre to create ‘Winter Warmer’ packs for local people in need. Rotary Club of Yass President PDG Mick Newling and Rtn Mandy Carter had the pleasure of handing over a cheque to the Anglicare team last week, with the funds used to create hampers of non-perishable food, socks, gloves and other items to assist people during the winter months.

The Rae Burgess Anglicare Centre established from the donated estate of prominent local Yass nurse Sister Rae Burgess, continues to provide early intervention and emergency outreach to people in need. 

Yass Rotary Club marked National Homelessness Week with a generous donation to the Anglicare Homelessness and Housing team.

“Yass Rotary acknowledges the importance of the Rae Burgess Centre to the community and has a healthy history of continuous support,” said PDG Newling. “Although Anglicare is a government funded initiative, donations from organisations like Yass Rotary enable the team to offer extra services to families, letting them know that their community is thinking of them and caring for them.”

Amanda Green, Anglicare’s Homelessness and Housing Coordinator in Yass, said “Winter is a difficult time of year for people experiencing housing stress or homelessness. Additional costs for warmer clothing and heating means sometimes families can’t afford other essentials like groceries. That’s why we’re so grateful to the Yass Rotary Club for their incredible generosity as we know that these packs will give ‘breathing space’ to families who are feeling overwhelmed and whose budgets are stretched.”

Over the past year the Anglicare team assisted over 600 people in Yass and the surrounding region through housing and emergency relief services. This need continues to grow as COVID-19 restrictions, rising rents and increased living costs put further emotional and financial stress on individuals and families.