COVID Lockdown 2021

Tuesday evening services at Lalor Park Community Hall are now suspended due to lockdown

Carevan Blacktown regrets to advise that, due to the resurgence of COVID 19 and the expansion of the current lockdown to include greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong, we will not be running our Tuesday evening services until the lockdown ends and the restrictions are lifted.

We take this decision with a heavy heart but we must adhere to and comply with the government regulations and our priority is to do this and to ensure the health and wellbeing of the Carevan family and community.

We will be back as soon as we are permitted to do so.

We are, in the meantime, delivering hampers provided to us by our wonderful friends at OzHArvest, to those of our Carevan community most in need of this support and we will continue to keep in touch with these folks to support them through these difficult weeks.

Take care, stay warm and well

https://www.abc.net.au/…/nsw-covid-lockdown…/100246622

Support

Supported by an amazing community and underpinned by a dynamic team of volunteers, Carevan Blacktown has many people by our side, supporting our mission to support in turn those most vulnerable among us.

Thanks, to Sunil Manilal and his colleagues for the winter warmth donations and to Kids Early Learning, with a winter drive to collect winter items well underway. These two groups approached Carevan well before the winter chill set in and began to organise collections and drives among their own groups, colleagues, families and contacts to support those in need before we have said one word in appeal and we are hugely grateful. Supporting Carevan’s annual winter blanket appeal is as easy as a single blanket donation and we will post an appeal, but this kind of forward-thinking and generosity has ensured warmth in spirit and reality for the season.

We are eternally grateful to the organisations who support us throughout the year directly or indirectly such as Daily Fresh who donate towards Norwest’s cooking program or give Carevan other opportunities, like Bunnings BBQs at Rouse Hill, which is an important fundraising event and enables a degree of financial independence, we raised funds that will support food purchase, consumables and keep Carevan doing its thing.

Support from family, friends and team members in collecting, delivering and putting together meals, food, hampers and all the weekly logistics that bring together our Tuesday evenings, every BBQ or Carevan event.  Unfailing support from the top in our tireless CEO Andrew, present every Tuesday evening, along with our dedicated committee members, who also perform multiple other tasks throughout the week to bring each Tuesday together.

It goes without saying of course, that Carevan functions on the support of our fabulous team of volunteers, who give of their time every month and are the very essence of community support and care which underpins Carevan’s service. We are always in need of volunteers to add numbers and heart, make light work of a multitude of tasks and keep the wheels turning and if this sounds like the sort of activity and team you’d like to add your support to then reach out via email or Facebook messenger, we’d LOVE to hear from you.

AND finally in a note of farewell and thanks for long-term support and dedication through the leadership to Lynne Wood. A founding member, team lead and friend of Carevan, Lynne has resigned her Carevan commission this week after 10 years in a (now faded) fluoro green leadership … Lynne will be missed, her work and contribution in establishing Carevan in Blacktown, kicking it all off in our old colourful Carevan van (which she drove up from Albury) is immeasurable and we thank her from the bottom of our hearts for all the years of service, countless meals, cups of coffee and care  … we hope to see her back for a cuppa with the Carevan community as a member of the family, this time with her feet up.

Thank you all for the support

(photo of Lynne and the Van on their arrival in Sydney)

A bountiful OzHarvest

Carevan Blacktown is overjoyed to report that we have become one of the many charities supported by the amazing organisation that is OzHarvest.

OzHarvest’s mission to “Nourish our Country by stopping good food from going to waste and delivering it to charities that help feed people in need” see’s this inspirational group gathering, cooking and distributing meals, pantry items, fresh food and veg to those most in need of this care and to charities, such as Carevan Blacktown.

Our part in this wonderful new collaboration is to do what we do best, and distribute these black and gold hampers of goodness and nutrition to the Carevan community who visit us each week for a meal, a cuppa and some extra kindness to support and nurture our most vulnerable community members.

We are enormously grateful to have been added to the OzHarvest family of recipients and cannot thank this inspirational, hardworking (and happy) team enough for their work in setting up this collaboration with Carevan Blacktown.

We look forward to working together with Ozharvest into the future and making things a little bit brighter still every week for those who visit Carevan Blacktown.

Visit the OzHarvest website to find out more about this ‘golden’ organisation and the wonderful work they do across the country and now supporting the Carevan and the community we serve.

Thank you so very much

https://www.ozharvest.org

https://www.ozharvest.org/who-we-are/

Hitting the Airwaves

Bunnings, Volunteers and changing the world …

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  – Margaret Mead

Over the last couple of weeks, Carevan Blacktown has had the wonderful opportunity to hold 2 Bunnings BBQs. This sizzling support is a much-loved Bunnings tradition and vital for many charitable organisations, including our little charity. It’s great to be able to do them again and we are HUGELY appreciative of the opportunity given us by Rouse Hill Bunnings, to raise some much need funds in this fun and interactive way.

Carevan called upon our sparkling, dancing, dedicated, hard-working and truly generous volunteers and supporters, at short notice, and were able to put together these two events with plenty of willing hands and generous donations of food enabling us to run two successful days … including today, Valentine’s day when the word LOVE and all variations sentiment, was all about… even in the Bunnings car park… and was at the heart of the amazing work our Carevan Family achieves

We had singing … some dancing … lots of sausages and LOVEly onions …and a whole lot of goodwill and care, put into action… more than just a red hearted card … our people came out to BE the CARE in Carevan.

Without our volunteers, we could not conduct meal services and our mission would be just a nice idea… our volunteers are AWESOME and on weeks like the past two, that’s never more obvious.

Huge Valentine’s LOVE to our BBQ volunteers Kym, KimBAlee, Tracey, Andrew, Taylor, Joel, Karenza, Annie and Stewart, Bruce, Jade, Daniel, Karen and Paul and Liam.. And to all our amazing team of volunteers who support Carevan week in and week out

Huge red virtual Roses to Naomi, Shahereen, Norwest Sunrise Rotary and Lions club for the donations of food… we cooked it up and served it with the extra dash of kindness that your donations bring!

Extra special shout out to our ‘protein/ bakery manager’ Tracey for work behind the scenes, for Kym who left today’s shindig to go home and make meals for Tuesday evening, to Taylor for the Technical support and for KimBAlee for the signs (and her dad) for the blackboard of LOVE … all the extra Carevan condiments that make it all so delicious!

Also, in our normal non-BBQ-ing world of Tuesday evening this week… a big beautiful bouquet to the Lalor Park Community Hub Markets, for their generous donation to Carevan and to Glaiza and Shahereen for their amazing kindness and generous donations… and to Glenda, Marlene and Daniel (and Oscar) for the delivery of clothing … we are truly, truly grateful ..

Finally, a big HUG (socially distanced of course) to Tina, Georgina and Tianna who gave up their evening to help with Tuesday’s service, managing clothing distribution like old hands. We cannot thank you all enough!

We are blessed by support in all forms and fashions and as Margaret Mead said ..we have No doubt this group of committed citizens can change the world.. or at least our little bit of it

Happy Valentine’s day AMAZING people

New Volunteer Training Day 18th February 2021

Follow the link to Carevan Blacktown’s Facebook page and join us for a training session on February 18th at 7pm

https://fb.me/e/fS4qK4qPv

Australia Day Awards 2021

Awesome Australia Day Tuesday 26th January 2021

Carevan began a terrifically HOT Australia Day Tuesday, at the Blacktown City Council’s Australia Day Awards. We were the very proud nominees in the category of “Community Event of the Year” and we couldn’t be more grateful for the accolade and kind attention … We are also very thankful to the lovely person or persons who nominated us for this honour… we don’t know who you are but we are humbled by your nomination.. THANKS

We were surrounded by inspirational people and organisations, their families and supporters, people who are the essence of community. These active members of the Blacktown Local area demonstrate the Australian spirit of care for our fellow countrymen and women, most particularly our most vulnerable persons, every day and it was lovely to be counted among them.

Lots of wonderful initiatives and programs were recognised from across all aspects of the community; health and social support for disadvantaged residents, volunteers caring for our wildlife and environment, young community leaders reaching out to care for their struggling peers and many other worthwhile and inspirational works besides.

It was a great honour to have been selected as finalists and for a small number of us to be able to attend the day, representing the Carevan Blacktown team for the special occasion

Congratulations to the worthy winners of our category, the Riverstone Neighbourhood Centre and to the other recipients and winners of the day’s awards, most especially to the Citizen of the Year, Ron Kelly – a long-time volunteer with the amazing organisation Foodbank, on which Carevan relies so heavily for food and supplies for our own Tuesday evening services.

Congrats too to the other nominees in all categories and those individuals and groups who may not have won or been present on the day, but who’s toil and efforts, makes things a little brighter for others every day of the year

Read about the other recipients, their work and quiet achievements on behalf of others, as recognised on Australia Day https://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/…/Blacktown-City…

Thanks to the Council for its enormous support of these and so many other community endeavours, including our own… such encouragement is invaluable in orchestrating and achieving community-based activities and goals and we are very thankful for it.

Following the award ceremony, the Carevan team threw on their fluoro green T-shirts and got to work on our Tuesday evening service – back to Carevan business as usual, but with an Aussie BBQ twist. We served up BBQ sausages with egg, bacon and coleslaw on a very hot summer evening to round out a great day…

Thank you to our wonderful local community and beyond, for the generous donations of clothing and books for this week as with every week and to our wonderful Volunteers  who are the engine inside the CareVAN!

And while on the subject of Australia Day, special  THANKS  to team lead Andrew Scott, CEO and last year’s Australia Day Citizen of the Year, upon whom has rested the responsibility of steering Carevan through a most extraordinary year.

It was a hot, hectic and rewarding day .. Good to be ( Carevan Blacktown ) Aussies

Carevan kicks Off for 2021

Carevan kicked off 2021 with our first evening get together for the year on Tuesday this week, welcoming back many of our regular family; guests, volunteers and amazing community members, at the Lalor Park Community centre, all masked up and COVID safe and back to service for another year.

We served up delicious meals kindly donated to Carevan by OzHArvest, through a joint venture with the Tyndale Christian school, as well as our regular lovely meals from Norwest and two scrumptious Fritattas made from the eggs of our feathered friends, the chooks at Merryn, Brenda, Piper and MacKenzie’s place.

OzHarvest is an amazing and inspirational organisation and it was such a pleasure (not to mention great luck!) to have had this opportunity to be associated with them. Thank you, Shannon, Dahnu and Talez and the whole OzHArvest group for your amazing work in the community at large and for our Tuesday evening meals, helping us put together our first service for the year…

And huge thanks to Tyndale’s team for nominating Carevan as the recipient of this donation

As always, our own Kitchen queens Kimbalee, Kym and Tracey were hard at work heating, serving and coordinating meals and dessert donated by Hunter Hampers, while our amazing volunteers, Joel, Jade, Kendall, Bruce and Andrew got busy with hall set up, packing up hampers with the goodies from Foodbank … And big Thanks too, to Shahereen, visiting us for the first time to bestow upon us a generous donation, we set her to work, putting her through her paces but still smiling at the end.

And kicking off with HUGE community support and care, our enormous THANKS to the generous community STARS Amy, Kerry, Vic, Daniel and Tina who arrived with donations of clothing, toys, school and hygiene supplies, takeaway containers and much more for the community donation tables… such support is the backbone of our service and we can’t thank you all enough.

A special delivery too of chocolatey goodness by way of a bulk donation of MILO in a very BIG bag and loads of teeny tiny hot chocolate marshmallows from the Blacktown Kildare Masonic Lodge… THANK YOU

Or if you are interested in helping out with our food pick-ups rather than the evening meal services, please get in touch with us on 0427 457 030 or email [email protected] we’d love to chat with you

          

Happy Christmas and Thank You ALL

Carevan Blacktown’s Christmas celebrations are done and dusted for another year. Always our busiest and ‘buzziest’ night of the year and 2020 was no exception.

We served large numbers, around 150 people, well in excess of previous years and brought tinselled happiness and some of Santa’s magic to end this challenging year by way of a scrummy meal, food parcels and Chrissy Hampers, gifts and hygiene and care packages, to add a little pizazz to the Christmas Season and sprinkle some sparkle around the community.

We cannot begin, well we can actually but we may not finish, to express our enormous gratitude and try to offer up adequate THANKS to our generous and exceptionally kind community. YOU have ensured that the community Carevan serves on your behalf, has had a very Bountiful and Merry Christmas season…

Heavenly THANKS to the angels and big-hearted community members who offered time, donations and feet on the ground, hands to put together hampers, wrap presents, serve food and endless cups of tea and yet more kindly souls to hand out those hampers, food and care packs, set up and wait tables and try (successfully, we think) to instil some of Christmas’s special vibe, into each and every interaction.

These wonderful members of the community and honorary Carevan volunteers, included a handful of children and their lovely parents, decorating trees, laying tables and hanging lights, tidying up, making up hampers and being generally amazing. They worked tirelessly and constantly throughout a long day, with the sort of tenacity that as the song lyrics go, were ‘making spirits bright’ Children it’s said, make Christmas special and these kids put in as much as anyone got out of our celebrations! THANKS Breanna, Taylor, James, Wayne, Melody and Dale!

THANKS to the various Carevan volunteers past and present, regular friends and supporters, who also popped in and out throughout the day to pack hampers and prepare and serve the meals. THANKS Dave and Rachel, Bill and Eileen, both Natalies, Daniel, Tracey, Jade and Taz, James, Paul, Karen, Annie, Matthew, Alison, Colin, Linh, Annie and Stewart, Michael, Lliam, Karenza, Joel, Cameron… You are an awesome army of care and compassion and we are blessed to have such a team.

Thanks to Blanket Patrol Western Sydney, Carevan’s buddies and an awesome team in their own right, who joined us to take care of the clothing and special items of love and warmth .. Lissa, Pat and Hezekiah … you are the Christmas Spirit of giving its very self.

Tremendous THANKS to Mayor Tony Bleasdale and Deputy Mayor, Julie Griffiths, who took time out of very busy seasonal schedules to come and have a chat, make a cuppa and hand out hampers to members of their happy and grateful community.

THANKS to all the organisations and individuals who generously provided tinned food, treats, hygiene and pantry items and gifts galore for the hampers; the Blacktown Sai Centre, Kellyville High school, the Kings Langley Scout Group, Blacktown Workers Club, Foodbank, Hunter Hampers, Share the Dignity, Jeni Simmons and friends, and the many other individuals who reached out to us to donate gifts and goods for Christmas time.

Thanks to Marlene and Glenda, Vic and Daniel’s neighbourhood locals for filling Santa’s sack and his sleigh to the brim with toys for children of all ages … and to Katie and Ellen for wrapping presents galore!

Thanks to Robyn and Garry, to Merryn and Brenda and to the committee members for the Christmas fare with all the trimmings… Delicious trifle and a 4.2kg Xmas Pudding… not to mention the committee members kitchen wizardry in producing a meal fit for Queens and Kings of Lalor Park.

THANKS also for last-minute orders filled for chicken and extra Veg from our Xmas superstar ‘Lizzie Chicken’

Thanks to incredibly supportive Blacktown Council for use of the hall. Access to this great facility meant we were able to ‘deck the hall’ with lights and tinsel and could set up our first ever pretty Christma

s tree. Big glittery THANKS to all the little hands that decorated that tree and placed presents for all the children, at its feet.

Community Christmas tables spilled out into the evening light with tables indoors and out, creating a lovely community meal together, social connection and good food in a COVID safe environment, with table service to add a special Christmas touch of dignity

Thanks to our committee; Kym, Kimbalee, Taylor and Lynne for the tireless work behind the scenes and to the fluoro Green army who serve throughout the year and step up especially at Christmas to bring the year to a festive close ….

And huge cookies and cream love to our very own Santa, Bruce … a gentle man who is ‘Santa’ all year long with or without the suit… and his lovely other ½ Lyn, who kindly lends him to us each week

The evening was a resounding collaborative success and we are honoured to have been able to create such an event on the community’s behalf and because of its generosity.

Lastly but not ‘leastly’ this feast was followed a few days later by Christmas morning BBQ for some 30-40 guests. Always a popular event, we added a little more Christmas love, supported by the fabulous Pamela Rope and her colleagues and friends, who donate breaky items towards BBQ deliciousness, bread rolls and Christmas cakes. More hampers, cuppas and a laid-back lovely morning to see out the Carevan Christmas season … for many, this is the extent of their Christmas day and it’s a joy to be able to add a dash of community care and companionship… a perfect ending. Blue Year in Review Christmas Card-3

Carevan’s fluoro elves are all ‘santa’d’ out for another year and we are happy Carevanites. Readying ourselves for 2021, when hopefully the new ‘norm’ is a relaxed, happy and healthy one which, will see us reunited with friends and family… but in the meantime, THANKS for your love and extraordinary care for the Carevan Family and those we serve.

We’ve added some photos, loads were taken but we’re mindful of folks privacy and dignity … but you can see glimpse from our gorgeously happy volunteer photos and pics, that this was a fab season, despite the trials and tribulations. Our care for each other and those most in need is not diminished by a tricky year but rather amplified .. ‘twas the season for it after all

OH… and THANKS to our amazing CEO Andrew, a rock and a rock star and a logistics master … who did more picking up, lifting, packing and general Carevan sleigh guiding than Rudolf himself … THANK YOU

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year .. and see you in it

NEWSLETTER from CEO Andrew Scott

Carevan newsletter

Carevan newsletter

                                        Carevan News

                                                      Christmas Message.

Wow – what a year and it’s not quite finished.  We started 2020 in the midst of Australia’s biggest drought and bush fire season recorded in recent history.  Our Lalor Park family turned up amidst these trying times and we saw record numbers of new guests as the tough times were impacting us all.

In March we started to hear lots about the Coronavirus, we continued to go out and provide meals, groceries and clothing to our Lalor Park family. We saw numbers grow, including record numbers in the 2^nd week of March.  This was likely due to more and more people losing their work and struggling to provide for themselves and their families.

In April, as you all know, the NSW government introduced strict social distancing regulations but try as we might, it became impossible for us in an outdoor setting, to provide a COVID-19 safe environment.  We made the toughest decision then, of our 9 year history, to withdraw our services until the COVID-19 restrictions eased.

We used this time productively though to work out a way in which we could deliver our service while providing the safest possible environment once government restrictions eased.  We worked with the Blacktown Council and through their generosity, we were provided with free access to the Lalor Park Community Hall.

The committee worked on ways we could create an environment that allowed for the COVID safe requirements such as social distancing, hand sanitizing stations, maintaining a safe and warm environment so that, when the government restrictions were eased, we were able to return.  It had been 9 weeks since we were last out and it was wonderful to be back.

The first night of our return we had 24 guests and this number has steadily increased to a weekly average of 64 guests.  We still offer blankets, clothing, hot meals, groceries and have added haircuts to our list of services.

Whilst we watch the current Northern Beaches outbreak very closely, we will continue to ensure that we follow all government guidelines and regulations to ensure we do not compromise the safety of our volunteers, supporters and the Lalor Park community.

My huge thanks to all of our volunteers and supporters who have rallied around us to enable Carevan to continue to provide our service and to making a difference in the Lalor Park community.

Our Christmas Week

22^nd December

Carevan’s busiest week of the year is Christmas and this year, COVID-19 restrictions permitted, we are expecting record number of guests at Tuesday the 22^nd of December’s Christmas dinner at the Lalor Park hall.

To comply with the restrictions, we will ensure that all our guests are seated for the meal service at both internal and external seating, we will have COVID-19 marshals, and we will segregate the hamper handing ceremony to ensure social distancing and as with every week, gloves and masks are available as required or desire.

We have lots of extra support this year including the Blacktown Workers Club and special thanks also to our regular supporters for increased care and contributions at this time of year, Foodbank, Roshni at the Blacktown Sai centre, Jeni Simmons, Marlene and Glenda, The Kings Langley Scout Group and Donna from Hunter Hampers.

Receiving a wonderful donation of Xmas hampers from Roshni Naidu and the Blacktown Sai Centre

25^th December

We will also be providing a breakfast service BBQ on Christmas day commencing at 9am.  The regular breakfast including, bacon, sausages and eggs will be provided.  A huge thanks to Pamela Rope and the team from Aldi, for providing us with the generous donation of breakfast items, without which we could not go out on Christmas morning.

Any volunteers wanting to help on this morning will be welcomed. This breaky service will be held in the carpark, rather than the hall and we will be there from 0900-1100

Our Finances

Since returning after the COVID closure, we have received several generous donations from our supporters.  The Blacktown Kildare Masonic Club have once again chosen Carevan as their local charity to support and we cannot thank them enough.

The Club and its kind members will never know how much their generous donation helps to keep us going.  Without their support it would be incredibly difficult for Carevan to do what we do and we are grateful for their ongoing support, care and contribution.

We were also successful in applying for a grant through the Commonwealth Bank’s Community “SmartyGrants” program. One of our volunteers, Michael Harvey, an employee of the Commonwealth Bank, directed us to the grant process.  This grant has been absolutely essential in enabling us to buy items such as food for Norwest and Tyndale Christian school’s  Carevan cooking program, along with other running expenses and consumables, such as plates, take away containers, milk and coffee etc.

Carevan was also the recipient of a grant from the Blacktown Workers Club. This generous donation is entirely directed towards weekly food and pantry supplies from Foodbank, from which we put together the week’s hampers and with which Kym, Kimbalee and Tracey make meals to supplement and add to meals from Norwest.

Deputy Mayor, Julie Griffiths, continues to show us tremendous support and provided a generous donation to Carevan through the Blacktown Council, to assist with providing food and gifts for the special Christmas hampers for our two Christmas events as above.

We have been blessed over this difficult year with ongoing care from our regular supporters in their continued contributions. Genworth Financial Services and the Rotary clubs of Rosehill and Roseville/ Chatswood are long term supporters while Glaiza Huynh, of Dearest Lips, continues to donate a percentage of all her sales to Carevan.

Carevan are also indirect beneficiaries of a second donation for 2020 of $500 from Daily Fresh towards the Norwest Cooking program, supporting the school’s own contribution to Carevan.

Donna Hunter of Hunter Hampers, donates food every week to our meal services and Lissa and Pat of Blanket Patrol Western Sydney, come out every 2^nd week, with clothing and blankets that the Lalor Park community love.

Our Committee & Volunteers.

I can’t begin to tell you the work that the wonderful Carevan Committee and volunteers do to ensure that we go out every week.  Every week Kym Corless and Tracy Priestly go to Foodbank in their lunch break and pick up food for our hampers.  On most Tuesdays the two Ky(i)m’s cook food to be taken out (this is after their day jobs) There are pick-ups each week from Hunter Hampers, of food for hampers as well, along with desserts and fortnightly collection from Roshni’s, of pantry and other goods. Daniel brings clothing every week that he collects from people in his street.

Your current committee members are Lynne Wood, Kym Corless, Kimbalee Apps, Taylor Kew, Caroline Del Aguila and Andrew Scott.

Bunnings BBQ

We have been fortunate to be given an opportunity to host the Bunnings BBQ at Rouse Hill Bunnings on Saturday the 2^ndof January.  We will be looking for volunteers so anyone who can help out for a few hours would be welcomed.  This is key opportunity for us raising funds.  If you can help, please let one of the committee members know.  Green Carevan shirts should be worn on the day.

Our Supporters

Contact Us

Email; [email protected]                 website; carevanblacktown.org.au.

With thanks and season’s greetings to all,

Andrew Scott, CEO Carevan Blacktown