Shelley inundated each month with donations for the homeless

Once a month Shelley Gelling volunteers with Rosies to offer comfort and food to homeless people in the city, and she always turns up with a huge pile of donated goodies.

Sisters Cathy and Shelley Gelling show off the huge pile of blankets, toiletries, tents and homemade biscuits which were donated by friends and family to be distributed to the homeless.

ONCE a month Shelley Gelling volunteers with Rosies to offer comfort and food to homeless people in the city, but she never goes empty-handed.

The week before her shift she puts a message on Facebook asking friends and family if they have any blankets, toiletries or tents to donate — and she is inundated.

“I usually get about eight garbage bags full,” Miss Gelling said.

Chermside church serves food to fight hunger and loneliness

“I have a RAV4 and my boot is usually chockers and my back seat as well.

“We also get tonnes of homemade food.”

Miss Gelling said Rosies relied on donations and she was continually restocking the shelves.

“Last Friday I put so much stuff in we restocked every single container,” she said.

Miss Gelling lives at Mount Samson but uses her sister’s house at Bald Hills as a drop-off point for donations.

“There are some people who can’t drop off stuff so on the Friday I’m rostered to volunteer at Rosies I go around picking up donations,” she said.

Most of the items come from north Brisbane, Redcliffe and the Sunshine Coast, but she has had a delivery from as far as Dalby.

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Miss Gelling has been volunteering with Rosies for about seven months.

“I’ve always had a passion to help the homeless and I usually had the excuse I’m so busy. Eventually I decided enough is enough and I went online and found Rosies.

“It’s my favourite day of the month. I have goosebumps the whole night. It’s such a privilege out there talking to these people, they’re extraordinary.

“It’s brought home to me how homelessness doesn’t differentiate between people — there are people from so many walks of life living on the street.

“They all have their heads down as they walk through, but if people would just say g’day to them they’ll feel more socially accepted.”