The Gosnells community has rallied together to support families in need this Christmas, with local businesses and residents stepping up to donate thousands of dollars worth of goods for All Saints Anglican Church’s emergency relief program.
Thanks to the generous contributions of the Corfield Street Family Chemist community, this year’s Christmas donation drive has exceeded expectations, becoming the largest in the program’s 15-year history, with an overwhelming response from the local area.
The donations will be used to create well over 100 hampers filled with essential food items, toiletries, and Christmas gifts, providing much-needed support to families struggling with financial hardship this festive season.
Owners of Corfield Street Family Chemist, Rose Carling and her husband Terry, could not be prouder of the community’s response, and said their store has been overwhelmed with the donations.
“We’ve got boxes of food piled up, with everyone coming into the pharmacy bringing three or four items. It’s a real achievement, and we really want to thank our customers for their support,” they said.
“Gosnells often gets a bit of a bad rap, but this shows the community spirit and generosity that really shines through.”
The Carlings said they offered to receive donations for the church and were pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of support.
“We were just asking for a can of soup, and then some were just bringing in bag loads for us, ranging from toothpaste and puddings to long-life milk, tin soups, toys, deodorants, it just goes on and on,” they said.
“It’s a phenomenal effort from everyone, and I just want the community to know how well they’ve done and how much we appreciate our customers making this happen.”
Dale Pekel from All Saints Anglican Church of Gosnells, who runs the emergency relief program with a group of five volunteers, said the support from the local community will allow them to provide more hampers this year for those facing hardship.
“Some families are really struggling; they have to make the choice of either not paying all their rent to buy the food they need or paying their rent and suffering because they can’t afford the food,” Ms Pekel said.
“Christmas is tough for them because there’s so much advertising and pressure about what you should be giving your family and what should be on the table, yet these people don’t get any extra money to cover the costs of Christmas.”
According to a 2023 report by the Australian Council of Social Service, one in eight adults and one in six children live in poverty, with 34 per cent of sole-parent households and 25 per cent of people with disabilities also experiencing poverty.
As the global cost of living crisis continues, Pekel said that, on average, they deliver emergency relief hampers to 18 families every week throughout the year, but recently, they had 25 families come through in one day, meaning every item donated has an impact.
“These hampers really mean a lot and make a huge difference in the lives of these families. Every item donated, whether it be food or gifts, really makes a difference.”
“I really want to emphasise the gratitude we feel towards the Corfield Family Chemist community and everyone who has donated and supported these efforts,” she said.
Donations will be collected this Monday as volunteers from the church begin putting together the Christmas hampers.
Those in need can visit the church on Friday, December 13th, to fill out a form in person and collect a hamper.
