Bottle sales benefit Thread Together clothing hub

NEARLY $10,500 raised through the sale of reusable stainless-steel water bottles at the recent Ballarat Begonia Festival has been handed to Cafs.

Central Highlands Water managing director Jeff Haydon presented a cheque for $10,490 to Cafs CEO Wendy Sturgess and its Thread Together program lead Sally Bennett on Tuesday.

The money, raised from sales of the Choose Tap bottles during the Begonia Festival from 8 to 10 March, will be used to help the child and family service organisation provide new clothing for people in need.

“We’re proud to partner with Cafs to support the Central Highlands community through Cafs’ Thread Together program, which provides people in need with brand-new clothing and accessories,” Mr Haydon said.

“We thank everyone in the community who visited us at the Begonia Festival to purchase a reusable bottle in support of Cafs’ important work.”

The Cafs Thread Together program gives people some level of security by providing unsold clothing donated by Australian retailers.

The CHW donation goes directly towards helping local people, as well as others outside the Ballarat area through the Thread Together Mobile Wardrobe.

Cafs was last year named as the beneficiary of the water bottle sales for two years.

“Brand-new clothes can restore dignity and hope,” Ms Sturgess said at the cheque handover.

“The Thread Together program enables clients to build trust and rapport within a safe and positive environment while driving environmental change by redistributing excess clothing that would otherwise end up in landfill.”

Cafs and CHW have an official community water bottle partnership, which is part of the authority’s wider community support program providing financial and in-kind assistance to local charities, grassroots groups and not-for-profit organisations throughout the Central Highlands region.

CHW aims to minimise single-use water bottle purchases through the scheme while raising money for local organisations, promoting safe drinking water, and building community partnerships.

The Choose Tap reusable bottles can be bought for $10 each from the CHW offices in Learmonth Road and Maryborough, and from the Cafs office at 115 Lydiard Street North, at any time.