“What if you were sleeping rough or in an uninsulated home and had no warm blankets?
“What if you also had children? A responsibility to keep them warm…
Linda Potauaine manages the community banks at VisionWest Community Trust. Every week, Linda and the community banks volunteers meet families struggling to make it through the seasonal challenges presented by winter.
This year, since the closure of VisionWest’s Op Shop, Linda has noticed a shortage in the ability to get necessary household items out to these families. Specifically warm clothes and blankets.
Enter the Rotary Club of New Lynn. Linda, also a Rotary member, recently presented an overview of what VisionWest does at a club meeting.
The morning of Linda’s presentation, Auckland was having a particularly cold snap, “I woke up not wanting to leave the comfort of my warm bed. So, in my presentation I said, “imagine not having any blankets and never quite feeling warm enough…
The response Linda received from Rotary members was “What can we do to help?”
To which Linda replied “Blankets!”
The Rotary Club of New Lynn went on to support VisionWest and their mission to ensure that no one goes cold this winter with a blanket drive. Ready Press Print supported by creating and providing flyers. These were distributed through neighbourly (a social media site) and contacts of the Rotary Club.
328 blankets have been donated thus far. Linda and her stellar team of volunteers have distributed these to clients and families engaged with VisionWest services such as budgeting, social workers and housing programmes.
Winter will soon be over but VisionWest’s partnership with the Rotary Club of New Lynn will go on to fulfil other community needs.
By partnering up and collaborating in our local community, we are able to accomplish so much more for our friends and neighbours who may find themselves struggling in the current or coming season.
A big thank you to everyone who donated and AAD Consultants, Barclay Suites, Our Space Architecture, Thomas Consultants, All Heart NZ, Ready Press Print and of course Rotary Club New Lynn for your support.