New business donates three truckloads of goods to flood battlers

Good360 has teamed up with new online furniture and homewares business Andoo to deliver $500,000 worth of bedding, furniture, appliances and whitegoods to the Northern Rivers. Here is their story.

Three truckloads of donations have arrived at the Koori Mail in Lismore on the back of a partnership between Good360 and furniture and homewares business Andoo.

Alice Kuepper, head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Andoo, part of the Winning Group, said donations are being delivered to Mullumbimby, Lismore and Grafton.

“Today we are delivering half a million dollars worth of product to the flood affected communities up in the Northern Rivers,” Ms Kuepper said.

“We have beds, furniture, we’ve got couches, chairs for the living room, we’ve got fridges, tvs, pillows, and mattresses.”

She said the donations are intended to help those who have been devastated by this disaster to rebuild their lives.

Left: Winning Group head of Corporate Social Responsibility Alice Kuepper, Koori Mail Lismore general manager Naomi Moran and Winning Group head of communications Emily Dahdah at the Koori Mail on Molesworth Street delivering $500,000 worth of new beds, mattresses, furniture, tvs and whitegoods for flood impacted residents. Picture: Cath Piltz

After working on this project since the floods began, Ms Kuepper said it is important to let people first deal with the devastation before bringing in aid.

“Today we are only delivering a third so we have still got two thirds of these donations going out throughout the year when people are ready to receive them,” Ms Kuepper said.

“We are working with our charity partner, Good360, who match us with charities in need.

“When those charities tell us they are ready for donations then we deliver the next lot of goods.”

Residents in Mullumbimby can contact the Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre for items they may need.

Koori Mail general manager Naomi Moran said the journey of establishing and building relationships with charities and suppliers to help traumatised people get back into their homes is important.

“We’ve worked hard over the past few months since the floods hit building those connections with suppliers and donors to help people get back on their feet after experiencing the most traumatic time of their lives,” she said.

“It is an ongoing journey and process, and certainly not over.

“The support of companies like Winning Group (Andoo) that are here today to provide much needed items that people can put back into their homes is helping.”

Eligible residents can register at the Koori Mail Flood Relief Hub on Molesworth Street for items they need to either go back into their own home or for longer term temporary accommodation too.

“We know that having a brand new couch, a mattress and a pillow is really comforting and something really valuable to people at the moment,” Ms Moran said.

She said they have been taking registrations for a long time and there is due process and a waiting list.

“We encourage people to seek our support if they need it,” Ms Moran said.