Your donations make all the difference

Horrible times in life can happen to anyone. Friday afternoon, we had a visit from a very distressed man who was happily married with two children. Life should be good for them, but unfortunately it is not. He was close to tears and had run out of options

In October, he was made redundant from his job with a local company. He was able to get through the Christmas period, but today he had only $6.00 left in his Bank Account. He thought he would be able to get a new job, but it just hasn’t happened.

His wife has a small part-time job, so at this stage, he has not been able to qualify for any Centrelink Benefits. Her salary certainly helps, but it is nowhere near enough. He is now at the end of his tether. Suicide seems like a good option. As far as he sees it, his wife would get his superannuation and she would be able to pay the mortgage. “She would be a lot better off without me,” he said.

By the time he finished explaining his situation he was in tears. In fact, both of us were in tears. SJC was unable to help him financially, but there is more than one way to ‘skin a cat’. He agreed to contact Care Financial Counselling.

They can’t give him money either, but they can contact the Bank on his behalf, to see if they can put a hold on his mortgage payments until he can get a new job. He has also promised that he will contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue, if he finds life too intolerable.

Today we were able to give him a generous amount of food. It will certainly make his $6.00 go a lot further. Next week, we will help the family with some prescriptions and a Telstra Bill.

Sue Jordan, who met with the client, thanks you for your support. She says, “You just don’t realise how important your donations are.” For this man it will make all the difference to his family this weekend. They will enjoy good food and there will be a few treats for the kids. By the time he walked out of SJC he was a much happier person.

This month SJC has supported and assisted approximately 280 people with food, finance and moral support. The Centre has also provided people with advocacy and information to assist them in improving their current situation.

We have seen a significant increase of people with financial difficulties. Also, more people attending the Centre and we are finding it challenging to meet the increased demand.

Wish list: Soap, full cream long life milk, peanut butter, Vegemite and cereal.

Also, if you have spare plastic bags, please drop them in as we go through many in the Centre each week.

Sarah Murdoch

A/Executive Officer

#donation #counselling #advocacy