By JOLENE OGLE
THIS week in honour of The Noosa Project, we celebrate the hard work and dedication of the newly formed Sunshine Coast Basket Brigade, which will deliver much-needed food hampers to families in need throughout the region.
For most of us, Christmas is a time to spend with loved ones sharing gifts and tucking into a scrumptious lunch with friends and family.
But for many local families in Noosa Shire, affording the basics at Christmas time is almost impossible, let alone any gifts to put under the tree.
Last year, Noosa local Trish Bignall decided it was time to spread a little Christmas cheer to local families by calling in her friends to form the Sunshine Coast branch of the Basket Brigade.
The Basket Brigade began when Anthony Robbins decided to help families in need after his family received bags of food on Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
Since then the Basket Brigade has grown throughout the United States and Australia, with headquarters in most of the major cities of Australia, and now the Basket Brigade has come to Noosa and will this year deliver over 50 hampers to families in need.
Trish said she had always heard of the Basket Brigade but last year decided to bring the food drive to the Sunshine Coast.
“We only had three weeks to get it done last year,” she said of the mammoth task.
But Trish and her dedicated band of volunteers were able to deliver 25 hampers to local families, helping 96 people have a brighter Christmas.
This year, Trish has rallied the troops including Angela Williment, Emma Wright and De Marczynski, who has volunteered with the Brisbane Basket Brigade for more than 15 years, plus Geoff Edwards of Bendigo Bank Cooroy who chipped in $500 to help stock Christmas hampers and Cooroy Supa IGA.
The Basket Brigade will dedicate countless hours to the collection, storage and sorting of donations, before spending a day packing hampers to suit the families receiving the basket, then delivering the baskets to families from Caloundra to Pomona.
De said it could be hard delivering baskets to families who might be embarrassed or unwilling to accept help, but she said the joy of giving outweighed any negatives.
“It’s a real thrill,” she said. “It can be quite emotional and I have cried in the car every now and then. But it does feel good to help.”
Trish said the brigade tried to target families who “fall through the cracks” and didn’t receive assistance from other large charity organisations.
“A lot of people don’t ask for help,” she said. “So we rely on businesses, schools and organisations to refer them to us.”
De said people who need hampers can vary from families facing hardship after a parent loses a job to a long-term illness affecting the family.
The Sunshine Coast Basket Brigade is already busy collecting tinned foods, gifts and special Christmas treats for this year’s delivery on 12 December.
The team is in need of long-life foods such as tinned vegetables, Christmas puddings, and gifts for children of all ages and parents.
Any donations for the brigade can be dropped into the Noosa Today office, 36 Mary Street, Noosaville, or the Bendigo Bank Cooroy, Pomona and Tewantin Community Bank branches from 1 October, or to donate visit www.mycause.com.au and search for Sunshine Coast 2015 Basket Brigade.
