Each and every week Carevan are contacted by individuals and groups wanting to help out in some way with the work we try to achieve with those doing it tough amongst us.
Recently a local dentist got in touch to offer his assistance and while we do not ( yet.. perhaps some day) visit schools with a dental program like our founder Dr John Brabant, his Sun Smiles program and our affiliates in Albury, we were just as amazed by the Dr’s generous offer to put his skills and time to use locally to help those in need.
We are constantly amazed by our community’s care for each other, wanting to help in whatever way or skill is at their disposal .. be it dentistry, food, clothing or items with which to serve our meals … ALL essential factors in their own way.
This week has been absolutely no exception to this lovely rule and Carevan would like to send out a BIG THANK YOU to Carol and Dan at Happytime Novelty Company in Blacktown for the AMAZING gift of over 3500 dinner plates, with which to serve our guests their meals.
This gift will take care of many, many meals to come and we cannot thank you enough, Carol and Dan, for your support!!
Being the recipients of such wonderful kindness and charity enables us to fulfill our mission to serve those less fortunate members of the community and we could not do it without the help of such generous and kind people.
Thank you ❣️
https://www.happytime.com.au/
Happy New Year to all but before we get too far into 2020 some Big Carevan THANK YOUs for 2019
Christmas evening service on the 17th and Christmas morning BBQ were truly wonderful celebrations, the culmination of an amazing year of kindness and generosity shown towards those in need and to our small charity, Carevan Blacktown.
THANK YOU to ALL our supporters and contributors; we simply cannot thank you all enough and are equally loathe to miss a single person’s act of kindness or attention, so we will resort to the group THANK YOU …. Every act of care MATTERS and its effect is felt at the tables at which we serve.
THANK YOU for the food; sending food, cooking food, serving food! To the schools whose classes make our meals happen every week and who do it with such graceful accommodation of Carevan’s needs and to those who add extra meals to these weekly services throughout the year.
THANK YOU for the collection, donation, and delivery of food, bread, fruit and Veg, toys, blankets, clothing, crockery, CDs/ DVDs, fridges, hygiene products, plates, knives and forks, cups and a glorious mountain of MILO
THANK YOU for reaching out to us on Facebook or by email, for the simple messaging or “liking and Sharing” with your friends and community. For dropping by on the Christmas services or through the year, on a Tuesday evening meal service to say ‘hello’, see what we do, see how you can help or just have a chat.
THANK YOU to the 6-year-old boy and the young school students raising money by collecting recycling, donating blankets, through their concern for people being cold during the winter months. To the elderly church companion who knows someone – who knows someone, donating money towards our efforts, and to all the individuals coordinating collections, contributions from schools, clubs, and business and community members.
THANK YOU to the worship groups extending a helping hand and to the early childhood centers, for the collections and educating young charges on social justice, in caring for people in need, people you may never know simply by leading through example.
THANK YOU to the big businesses whose employees get behind a challenge on Carevan’s behalf, such as local club staff taking up knitting needles in their tea breaks, hand-making scarves, and beanies, to the small business owners making cash donations or pledging 10% of the income earned to Carevan’s purpose.
THANK YOU for the buckets and buckets, and innumerable bags, of toys, tinned and dry food and other products, collected by workplaces ensuring stocked Christmas hampers. For the first time this year enabling us to put together a Santa Sack, so blessed were we with toys and games, filling hampers with the nice and the necessary, making Christmas special for one and all, big and small.
THANK YOU, for the readymade beautiful handbags, and Christmas hampers. These special gifts, filled with hygiene and pampering items remind individuals that they matter and are thought of, all year but most especially at Christmas, items which are otherwise an expensive necessity or luxury… Because everyone deserves a little extra sparkle every now and then
THANK YOU for all the donations of food and time for Christmas service and for the Christmas morning BBQ. For the many happy faces arriving to deliver, pack, wrap, cook, serve and chat with all who come to benefit from these tangible acts of love and community support.
THANK YOU to the supporters we won’t ever know, like those individuals who added a little something to the grocery list this year, to pop into the donated tubs and bags, and still the many others we do know and who’s tremendous generosity surprises us each time we meet.
THANK YOU to those who have supported Carevan since its beginnings and the many new faces who’ve joined us along the way in 2019. To our regular supporters and old friends, whose heartstrings bring them back, with hampers for example or fresh milk rather than ‘long life’ for Christmas meal services… SO many, many little personal touches and work that add more joy to the season and the year
THANK YOU to all our amazing volunteers, who dedicate their time each month to serve meals, with a welcoming smile to all those who come to sit the communal table. To those ladies who came together to prepare, pack and wrap our wonderful bounty into the lovely Chrissy Hampers.… And for extra “shifts” Christmas service 17th and on Christmas morning … extending traditional family time into the “Carevan family”
THANK YOU for our amazing “partnerships” with Hunter’s Hampers, Parklea Markets, Roshni and the Blacktown Sai Centre, The Norwest and Tyndale Christian schools and Blanket Patrol Western Sydney, Elyse, and Celeste. With Rotary Roseville and Richmond, Genworth, The Blacktown Masonic group and Sydney Business Web. And to the Federal minister’s office for thinking our work worthy of your support
There are photos aplenty and video or two, but only a few chosen to illustrate the success of the Christmas period, ensuring the privacy of those we serve, for whom the need for Carevan’s care, on behalf of the community, is brought about through necessity and hardship, but is valuable and valued beyond words nevertheless
We cannot succeed without you all, each and every one of you
Happy New Year and THANK YOU sincerely and humbly for a wonderful 2019
It was a hot, windy evening on the Lalor Park streets for Carevan’s evening meal service Tuesday night, smoky skies, a reminder of the devastating fires taking their toll across NSW and QLD. Compassionate and generous communities rallying around, in the face of this old nemesis. The fighting Aussie spirit evident everywhere as neighbours, friends, firefighters and prefect strangers, reach out to help those in need.
We are far from the fires at Lalor Park this evening, but at Carevan we are witness to this kind of amazing community support every week. Offers of help, meals, clothing, volunteering, anything… this week being no exception … community groups and individuals, including a 5-year-old little boy and his mum reaching out to offer help.
Thanks this week to Celeste, Kellyville Anglican and Donna for the delicious meals. Hunter’s Hampers and Parklea Markets for fruit, veg and bread, an amazingly generous bounty helping to stock pantries and ease the week’s budget strain.
Huge thanks to the fabulous Karen and Kym, the dynamic serving duo, James and Bruce on beverages, general duty and dad jokes! And Andrew for tireless efforts and a whole lot of running around… Van wheels turning.
Special thanks also to Jigsaw OOSH for chocolate crackle scrumptiousness and of course our lovely Taylor for keeping our Facebook a happening thing.
The Carevan family’s extends thoughts and prayers to all those facing and fighting the fires and their aftermath, wherever you are. We know, because we see it each week, that the gracious Australian community will support each other though this challenging time.
Take care of each other
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/nsw-bushfires-how-you-can-help
AND …. Carevan would like to ALSO send out huge 
Happy New Year to all but before we get too far into 2020 some Big Carevan THANK YOUs for 2019
this year and we cannot thank you enough!
go a long way to making a person feel cared for by the community who donates to them and by the wonderful team who arrange, package and deliver these beautiful gifts to Carevan for distribution.
