Winter appeal underway

3BA got its annual Winter Appeal last week with the radio station donating sixteen pallets of groceries to four local charities.

The handover took place at Blake Family Grocers last Wednesday, with Uniting Ballarat, Anglicare, the Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul each receiving supplies to give to struggling families.

John Fitzgibbon, general manager at 3BA and Power FM, said with the colder weather arriving early, the groups couldn’t wait any longer to start their drives.

“It’s an early start for winter, they need to get their stock levels up. The cold mornings are biting, the cost-of-living pressures are putting a lot of pressure on families,” he said.

“With the support of Blake Family Grocers, there’s 16 pallets being delivered free of charge by O’Neil Transport. It just shows the whole community approach to the appeal.”

Uniting Ballarat’s emergency relief coordinator Tania Jennings said the supplies will go a long way in providing for the Ballarat community.

“Our pallets will go towards our emergency relief centre so it helps anybody that’s vulnerable in the community that needs food or clothes or blankets,” she said.

“Without this appeal, I think all of our relief centres would be lost. It plays such a big part in us being able to help and support people.

“There’s definitely a need to prepare especially for this winter, and Ballarat’s climate shift is massive. There’s a lot of people out there that will need the extra help.”

The appeal is set to officially launch within the next few weeks, and although people will be able to donate supplies for the drive, Mr Fitzgibbon said “cash is king.”

“Getting those funds directly means we’ll have room to move,” he said.

“For example, if we get a blanket, we might have to spend that bit extra maintaining it and packing it properly whereas cash will just remove those extra expenses.”