Hutt St Centre and Catherine House gifted $75k by The Advertiser Foundation

A sizeable donation from The Advertiser Foundation will be used to fund emergency homeless shelters and waterproof swags for rough sleepers.

Mitsubishi Motors CEO Shaun Westcott, Hutt St Centre CEO Chris Burns and The Advertiser Foundation’s Dan Demaria with swags and sleeping bag that will be given to the homeless. Picture: Kelly Barnes

The Advertiser Foundation will donate $75,000 from this year’s Blanket Appeal to help South Aussies battling homelessness.

This year’s recipients Hutt St Centre and Catherine House will use the money for emergency shelter programs and provide waterproof swags to those sleeping rough.

Head of The Advertiser Foundation Dan Demaria thanked those who pitched in to help struggling members of the SA community.

“We are so grateful to all of our readers who have donated as much as they could,” Mr Demaria said.

“A special thank you to some sizeable donations from the All Souls Church at St Peters, the volunteers at Meals on Wheels at Glenelg and the ‘Thursday Walkers’ from Toorak Gardens. “A big thank you also to our generous corporate partners the Australian Chinese Medical Association Foundation and Mitsubishi Motors Australia – their support has been a crucial part of this year’s appeal.”

Mitsubishi Motors Australia chief executive Shaun Westcott said it had been “humbling” to see the generosity extended by all walks of the South Australian community to help the Blanket Appeal “be the success that it has been”.

“South Australia in particular, as our home state, is a large community where we are commonly looking to see how we can contribute, either to the continual economic growth of the state, or to help members of the community who might be doing it tough,” Mr Westcott said.

Mitsubishi Motors has been a longstanding member of the South Australian business community, having operated in the state since 1980.

“Both Hutt St Centre and Catherine House are vital organisations who exist to help people year round, whether they are bracing the challenges which come with sleeping rough, or helping people impacted by domestic violence.’’

Sunday Mail editor Paul Ashenden said it was a privilege to publish the stories of people affected by homelessness as the paper raised money for the appeal.

Mr Ashenden said organisations like the Hutt St Centre and Catherine House provided an incredible lifeline for people who found themselves without regular accommodation.

“Whether people are couch surfing, living in a car or sleeping on the streets, Hutt St Centre and Catherine House offer a precious sense of normality and stability,” he said.

“This is an issue exacerbated by the current housing and rental crisis and shows no signs of abating.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has already donated to the Blanket Appeal and urge anyone who is thinking about contributing to take that next step and give what you can.

“Every dollar makes a difference.”

The Blanket Appeal is the newspaper’s longest-running charitable initiative, starting in the Great Depression and revived in 1959.

Originally published as Hutt St Centre and Catherine House gifted $75k by The Advertiser Foundation