Hills residents asked to dig deep for Red Shield Appeal as Salvos inundated with calls for support
From supporting bushfire victims and those hit hardest by COVID-19 restrictions, Salvo volunteers from the charity’s Mount Barker outlet have been run off their feet. And most concerningly, they expect the worst is yet to come.
Adelaide Hills
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- COVID-19 forces Salvos to switch up Red Shield Appeal
- Another cost blow for Mount Barker’s $35m sporting hub
From supporting bushfire victims and those hit hardest by COVID-19 restrictions, the Salvation Army’s Mount Barker branch has reported one if its busiest quarters in history.
Captain Daniel Wayman, who has been the local minister since January, said the Fletchers Rd outlet was flat out helping Hills locals dealing with the aftermath of last December’s Cudlee Creek bushfire when COVID-19 struck.
Since then, he and wife Andrea have been run off their feet supporting people in need by delivering food hampers and meals and offering financial support.
“We have seen quite a few people who couldn’t get on JobKeeper or weren’t entitled to funding but were made redundant or weren’t able to get work for other reasons, so there’s things like that, that have come out of this whole COVID-19 situation, ” Cpt Wayman said.
“On top of that, we had people asking for help who were essentially still fire affected and then with COVID, that created another wave for them that they sort of copped.
“So we really had a double hit from residents asking for our help.”
With the annual Red Shield Appeal being held this weekend, Cpt Wayman said community support was now more important than ever.
He said while government funding had helped ease some of the pressure on residents, Salvo offices across SA were bracing for a second wave of calls for help.
“We expect to see the number of people who require assistance increase even more once the Government’s JobKeeper and additional funds under JobSeeker conclude in the coming months,” he said.
“We expect that the big wave is probably going to hit us from mid to late June unless a second round of funding comes through.
“The reality is that people live within their means.
“If you have more money coming in then you spend more, but it’s a hard habit to then come out of … so that’s when people start asking for help.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s Red Shield doorknock will be replaced by an online-only fundraiser.
To donate, visit salvationarmy.org.au or call 13 72 58.