Hi all
Well we weren't too active with the updates over the last couple of years, but rest assured we were still collecting and donating in 2013 and just recently with our donation a few days ago on Christmas Eve. My 4 year old son and I dropped off our food and there were 5-6 groups of people there collecting food for the Christmas period. This really highlighted to me how fortunate we are to be in a position to do what we are doing to help out those who are less fortunate at a really special time of the year. It was also a nice moment with Abel to explain to him what we were doing and why we were doing it.
Hopefully all our followers were also still active collecting and donating during this period - would be great to hear about your efforts over the last few years and to find out how much food has been donated.
We are aiming to go back to our regular ways for 2015 - new year and a new start! To this end, we have already purchased our first item for the 2015 donation this week.
It is great to see that Foodbank is moving into their new premises near the airport as I type, and hopefully they can continue and expand on the amazing work they do out of their brand new facility.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoys the New Year.
Scott, Kasie & Abel
Monday, 29 December 2014
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
We are still going!
Firstly, apologies for the long
silence! We have been insanely busy with work, studying, starting a business,
home improvements and of course keeping track of Abel! Rest assured, we have
still been accruing items for donation each week – hopefully you all have been doing
the same when you can! We finally donated our very large box full of old
clothes, toys and miscellaneous kitchen items the other week which hopefully
will be appreciated by those who will benefit.
On a final note, here are some interesting websites I have come across relating to urban agriculture and growing your own food – some eye opening ideas and accomplishments!
http://greenroofs.org/
http://www.ryerson.ca/carrotcity/index.html
Some pictures of recent additions:
We will be looking to donate our
stash of food items very soon – a little delayed from our original intentions,
but this has just meant that the stockpile has gotten bigger! We may even just
hold onto it until Christmas time for a mega donation of year long stockpiling.
Have you been building a stockpile
to donate? Have you already donated? Who has benefited from your generosity? We
would love to hear what everyone has achieved so far this year. Hopefully we
can all build some momentum heading into the Christmas holiday period.
Speaking of which, it’s only 4
months to Christmas, or 18 weeks. Still plenty of time to get friends and family to start their own stockpile and amass 18 items to
donate to those in need at Christmas time. This is the time of year that people
should not be without, and after donating our fist stockpile last year at
Christmas time, we are looking forward to doing the same again this year.
On a final note, here are some interesting websites I have come across relating to urban agriculture and growing your own food – some eye opening ideas and accomplishments!
http://greenroofs.org/
http://www.ryerson.ca/carrotcity/index.html
Some pictures of recent additions:
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
January Update
We now have proper internet at the new house and are relatively settled in, so can post on a more regular basis. Exciting things are happening for us - new jobs, new year at uni, new milestones for our little boy. 2012 is looking pretty great!
So far this year we have purchased soup, baked beans, sanitary pads and toothbrushes. We are concentrating more on the toiletry items earlier in the year as they have no expiry date and we're not sure yet whether we will make several donations during the year or a big one at the end. Though the big Christmas donation is more exciting due to the volume, the need is year round, so we are probably leaning towards quarterly donations.
We recently received a newsletter from Foodbank about the work that they do. In 17 years they have distributed 25 million kilograms of food to people in need aroud WA. With global and local economic pressures, the demand on their services is only growing. And Foodbank is only one charity that collects and distributes food. There were some interesting financial stats in the newsletter as well - $20 provides food for 40 meals, and $120 will feed a family of four for a month. That really hit home. We spend $120 a week on food and groceries for 3 (and one doesn't really eat too much food!) and we are quite thrifty in what we buy. To think that the money that we spend in one week would feed a family for a month - gets you thinking.
On a different note, I put out a call on the Facebook page - where do you donate old clothes, linen etc too when you have a clean out? We normally leave donations in a Salvo's bin, who I know do amazing work. But I would like to see our donations have a more immediate effect. Someone suggested a local women's shelter so I googled and called one up - speaking to a lady who looks after 5-6 families in my area who have escaped from domestic violence - these are people in need of household goods. They often leave with not much more than the clothes on their backs. So our excess linen, glassware, cutlery, some books, kids and adult clothing is going to them.
An exciting development also - the University of Notre Dame Fremantle medical students will be starting their own One a Week Project collecting goods. This is really inspiring, but also slightly embarassing as I am a med student at the University of Western Australia and haven't got my collegues involved yet. But today, I have put out the UWA call so watch this space for updates on the UWA/ND challenge!
So far this year we have purchased soup, baked beans, sanitary pads and toothbrushes. We are concentrating more on the toiletry items earlier in the year as they have no expiry date and we're not sure yet whether we will make several donations during the year or a big one at the end. Though the big Christmas donation is more exciting due to the volume, the need is year round, so we are probably leaning towards quarterly donations.
We recently received a newsletter from Foodbank about the work that they do. In 17 years they have distributed 25 million kilograms of food to people in need aroud WA. With global and local economic pressures, the demand on their services is only growing. And Foodbank is only one charity that collects and distributes food. There were some interesting financial stats in the newsletter as well - $20 provides food for 40 meals, and $120 will feed a family of four for a month. That really hit home. We spend $120 a week on food and groceries for 3 (and one doesn't really eat too much food!) and we are quite thrifty in what we buy. To think that the money that we spend in one week would feed a family for a month - gets you thinking.
On a different note, I put out a call on the Facebook page - where do you donate old clothes, linen etc too when you have a clean out? We normally leave donations in a Salvo's bin, who I know do amazing work. But I would like to see our donations have a more immediate effect. Someone suggested a local women's shelter so I googled and called one up - speaking to a lady who looks after 5-6 families in my area who have escaped from domestic violence - these are people in need of household goods. They often leave with not much more than the clothes on their backs. So our excess linen, glassware, cutlery, some books, kids and adult clothing is going to them.
An exciting development also - the University of Notre Dame Fremantle medical students will be starting their own One a Week Project collecting goods. This is really inspiring, but also slightly embarassing as I am a med student at the University of Western Australia and haven't got my collegues involved yet. But today, I have put out the UWA call so watch this space for updates on the UWA/ND challenge!
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Week 2
So, in between moving house (which is not enjoyable with a 1 year old, let me tell you...), we did manage to go grocery shopping and add item 2 to the One a Week Project box in our garage. This week we chose baked beans - high in protein but also a vegetarian option.
Also, we've used the opportunity of moving house to declutter. Which raises the point - what do you do with all of those old clothes, cutlery, dishes and linen? And the books? Is putting them in a donation bin the best option? Or is there somewhere that would put them to more immediate use? Any ideas would be fab! And let us know what you purchased this week. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Also, we've used the opportunity of moving house to declutter. Which raises the point - what do you do with all of those old clothes, cutlery, dishes and linen? And the books? Is putting them in a donation bin the best option? Or is there somewhere that would put them to more immediate use? Any ideas would be fab! And let us know what you purchased this week. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, 2 January 2012
2011 List Recap
For those playing at home, a recap of our donation for 2011 before the list becomes updated for 2012
Seems like something from the Hungry Caterpillar! Retrospectively, knowing what we know now, there are items on this list that were not the best choices (Cheezels, flour). But it was our first try and we have better guidelines now on what is needed. Can't wait to make our 2012 list!
- Christmas pudding
- Tinned spaghetti
- Tinned beetroot
- Tinned peas
- 2 x baby food
- Tinned lentils
- Milo
- 1kg rice
- 1L UHT soy milk
- 1L UHT milk
- Raspberry Jam
- Weet-bix
- Maternity pads
- Nursing pads
- 4x 5 pack of soap
- Hair conditioner
- Travel change mats
- 2x Baked beans with sausages
- Olive oil
- Tinned corn
- Newborn nappies
- Tomato sauce
- Cheezels
- Plain Flour
- Self Raising Flour
- Chickpeas
- 2 x Diced tomatoes
- Tinned tuna
- Jelly
- Tea bags
- 2 x Pasta Sauce
- Pasta
- Chicken Soup
- Washing Powder
- Peanut Butter
- Tin of infant formula
Seems like something from the Hungry Caterpillar! Retrospectively, knowing what we know now, there are items on this list that were not the best choices (Cheezels, flour). But it was our first try and we have better guidelines now on what is needed. Can't wait to make our 2012 list!
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Things we learnt
Just before Christmas, we were able to donate more than 40kg of food, household goods and toiletries to Foodbank Western Australia, which would in turn be given to people in need at Christmas. Pretty amazing feeling. We met their amazing staff, most of whom are volunteers. We also met the people who collect food from Foodbank to distribute to a variety of people who, for whatever reason, cannot put enough food on their table.
A very humbling experience.
We now know that Foodbank does not just provide food for charity organisations, but also for school breakfasts in areas where children go to school hungry. They also provide education on healthy food choices and are a rehabilitation facility for female prisoners and an employment option for people with disabilities. Amazing work.
We were able to learn a lot about the donation process and it gave us some insights about how to go forward.There were a lot of pallets of food, but they were all the same. Big pallets of flour, of tinned fruit, bags of potato chips. All of this is helpful, but what is needed is complete meals (such as tinned soups, braised steak and onions), foods high in protein (meats, chickpeas, legumes, baked beans) and generally more healthy options. There is also a lack of variety in what is donated, and there is a serious lack of toiletry items - soap, washing powder, dishwashing liquid and the like. We donated nappies, baby formula and some baby food - these are also rarely given and desperately needed. We donated flour last year, thinking that people could find multiple uses for it - what we didn't think is that many of the people receiving these donations do not have kitchens or may not have the skills to bake bread or pasta. We now know the importance of ring pulls on cans, as the homeless may not have can openers handy.
So this year, we started off by buying a can of chunky soup/stew, fitting the brief of protein and a complete meal.We would like this year to be bigger and better than the last. It is amazing to us to have so many people come on board, to have been invited to talk about the project on ABC radio in Perth and to have inspired others to take up the challenge.
It doesn't matter if you buy a can a week, a can a month, or even one this year. A single item - that may only cost you an extra dollar in your weekly shop - will actually make a difference in a stranger's life. If you decide to join us on this journey, let us know what you buy every week on our Facebook page. Tell your friends, your family, get a co-op going at work. Let's make this a community effort and make a change for the better
A very humbling experience.
We now know that Foodbank does not just provide food for charity organisations, but also for school breakfasts in areas where children go to school hungry. They also provide education on healthy food choices and are a rehabilitation facility for female prisoners and an employment option for people with disabilities. Amazing work.
We were able to learn a lot about the donation process and it gave us some insights about how to go forward.There were a lot of pallets of food, but they were all the same. Big pallets of flour, of tinned fruit, bags of potato chips. All of this is helpful, but what is needed is complete meals (such as tinned soups, braised steak and onions), foods high in protein (meats, chickpeas, legumes, baked beans) and generally more healthy options. There is also a lack of variety in what is donated, and there is a serious lack of toiletry items - soap, washing powder, dishwashing liquid and the like. We donated nappies, baby formula and some baby food - these are also rarely given and desperately needed. We donated flour last year, thinking that people could find multiple uses for it - what we didn't think is that many of the people receiving these donations do not have kitchens or may not have the skills to bake bread or pasta. We now know the importance of ring pulls on cans, as the homeless may not have can openers handy.
So this year, we started off by buying a can of chunky soup/stew, fitting the brief of protein and a complete meal.We would like this year to be bigger and better than the last. It is amazing to us to have so many people come on board, to have been invited to talk about the project on ABC radio in Perth and to have inspired others to take up the challenge.
It doesn't matter if you buy a can a week, a can a month, or even one this year. A single item - that may only cost you an extra dollar in your weekly shop - will actually make a difference in a stranger's life. If you decide to join us on this journey, let us know what you buy every week on our Facebook page. Tell your friends, your family, get a co-op going at work. Let's make this a community effort and make a change for the better
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Apologies
We've been bad bloggers who have only updated our Facebook page regularly. But never fear, over the weekend this will be rectified and you'll have all new posts from us about what to donate, where it goes and other One a Week Project related news on a much more frequent basis!
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