	{"id":100393,"date":"2024-07-19T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/?p=100393"},"modified":"2024-07-22T14:40:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T04:40:45","slug":"vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/","title":{"rendered":"Vinnies calls for Winter clothing donations amidst rising demand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>VINNIES is urging Australians to donate warm winter clothing and blankets as the cost-of-living crisis drives more people to seek second-hand options, leading to increased demand and dwindling supplies.<\/p>\n<p>Regional manager Paula McCormack said it was shaping up to be one of the worst winters she had seen.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In retail, it&#8217;s the lack of winter clothing that&#8217;s the worst I&#8217;ve seen,&#8221; Ms McCormack said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30038\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30038\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-30038 \" src=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/07\/image00026_21241.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30038\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mary Coleman has been volunteering at Vinnies Ballina for 47 years. Photo: DAVID COPE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I was in the Ballina store the other day, and everything is summer.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We just don&#8217;t have enough winter stock. We don&#8217;t have enough blankets, jackets, knitwear, things like that.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have put a call back to the community to see if we can get more in.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In the Northern Rivers, over $1.5 million in financial and material assistance was provided in the last financial year, helping more than 9,000 people.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30038\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30038\" style=\"width: 602px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-30038 \" src=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/07\/image00018_24172.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"602\" height=\"903\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30038\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In addition to winter clothing and donations, the organisation was putting the call out for more volunteers. Photo: DAVID COPE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Among those seeking help, 81 per cent needed food assistance, 40 per cent required accommodation, and 45 per cent were experiencing housing stress.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, one-third of those seeking assistance this winter were doing so for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In the retail shops, our purpose is to sell to raise funds to support the programs and services,&#8221; Ms McCormack said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But if someone is in need, they can see one of our service providers and get a family assistance voucher, come in, and select whatever they need.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30038\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30038\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-30038 \" src=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/07\/image00001_25876.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30038\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vinnies has seen a significant rise in the need for winter gear, coupled with a notable decrease in donations. Photo: DAVID COPE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Food has been the number one assistance we&#8217;ve been providing for the last six to seven months.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The number of homeless people has increased dramatically in the last few months as well, which is pretty scary given that we&#8217;re going into the coldest months.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Vinnies&#8217; network of more than 200 shops in NSW plays a crucial role in funding their community programs and services.<\/p>\n<p>Proceeds from sales help support local initiatives, providing essential aid to those struggling to make ends meet this winter.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_100493\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100493\" style=\"width: 439px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-100493 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/18.07.2024_13.24.27_REC.png?_t=1721273308\" alt=\"\" width=\"439\" height=\"622\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/18.07.2024_13.24.27_REC.png 439w, https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/18.07.2024_13.24.27_REC-212x300.png 212w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 439px) 100vw, 439px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100493\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Ballina Vinnies volunteers Estelle McSkimming, Mary Coleman and Carol Flanagan. Photo: DAVID COPE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In addition to winter clothing and donations, the organisation is also putting the call out for more volunteers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Ballina store is an amazing team. Our manager, Mary Coleman, is over 90. She&#8217;s been with us for 47 years, which is very impressive\u201447 years. That&#8217;s a lifetime,&#8221; Ms McCormack said.<\/p>\n<p>Ballina, Lennox Head, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, and Mullumbimby Vinnies stores are all looking for volunteers.<\/p>\n<p>Full details on volunteering, shop locations, and donation options can be found at <a href=\"http:\/\/vinnies.org.au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vinnies.org.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VINNIES is urging Australians to donate warm winter clothing and blankets as the cost-of-living crisis drives more people to seek second-hand options, leading to increased demand and dwindling supplies. Regional manager Paula McCormack said it was shaping up to be one of the worst winters she had seen. &#8220;In retail, it&#8217;s the lack of winter [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":100491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-100393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Vinnies calls for Winter clothing donations amidst rising demand - Ballina Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vinnies NSW needs winter clothes donations! Rising demand due to cost of living. Help those in need with warm clothes, blankets &amp; more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vinnies calls for Winter clothing donations amidst rising demand - Ballina Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Vinnies NSW needs winter clothes donations! Rising demand due to cost of living. Help those in need with warm clothes, blankets &amp; more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ballina Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-18T18:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-22T04:40:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg?_t=1721623246\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1103\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Angus Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@angussmithh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Angus Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Angus Smith\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/25bcc2cb3a5fd7fe4016d31a167d1b9b\"},\"headline\":\"Vinnies calls for Winter clothing donations amidst rising demand\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-18T18:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-22T04:40:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":496,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vinnies calls for Winter clothing donations amidst rising demand - Ballina Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-18T18:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-22T04:40:45+00:00\",\"description\":\"Vinnies NSW needs winter clothes donations! Rising demand due to cost of living. Help those in need with warm clothes, blankets & more.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/news\\\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg\",\"width\":2100,\"height\":1103,\"caption\":\"Vinnies' network of more than 200 shops in NSW plays a crucial role in funding their community programs and services. Photo: DAVID COPE\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ballina Times\",\"description\":\"Free local news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ballina Times\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/BallinaTimes.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/31\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/BallinaTimes.png\",\"width\":697,\"height\":98,\"caption\":\"Ballina Times\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/25bcc2cb3a5fd7fe4016d31a167d1b9b\",\"name\":\"Angus Smith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Angus Smith\"},\"description\":\"Angus Smith is editor of the Times News Group\u2019s Northern Rivers publications, overseeing editorial direction for the Byron Coast Times, Lismore Times, Tweed Coast Times and Ballina Times.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/angussmithh\",\"angel\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/ballinatimes\\\/author\\\/angussmith\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Vinnies calls for Winter clothing donations amidst rising demand - Ballina Times","description":"Vinnies NSW needs winter clothes donations! Rising demand due to cost of living. Help those in need with warm clothes, blankets & more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Vinnies calls for Winter clothing donations amidst rising demand - Ballina Times","og_description":"Vinnies NSW needs winter clothes donations! Rising demand due to cost of living. Help those in need with warm clothes, blankets & more.","og_url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/","og_site_name":"Ballina Times","article_published_time":"2024-07-18T18:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-07-22T04:40:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2100,"height":1103,"url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg?_t=1721623246","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Angus Smith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@angussmithh","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Angus Smith","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/"},"author":{"name":"Angus Smith","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#\/schema\/person\/25bcc2cb3a5fd7fe4016d31a167d1b9b"},"headline":"Vinnies calls for Winter clothing donations amidst rising demand","datePublished":"2024-07-18T18:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-22T04:40:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/"},"wordCount":496,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/","name":"Vinnies calls for Winter clothing donations amidst rising demand - Ballina Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg","datePublished":"2024-07-18T18:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-22T04:40:45+00:00","description":"Vinnies NSW needs winter clothes donations! Rising demand due to cost of living. Help those in need with warm clothes, blankets & more.","inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/news\/vinnies-calls-for-winter-clothing-donations-amidst-rising-demand\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-81-1.jpg","width":2100,"height":1103,"caption":"Vinnies' network of more than 200 shops in NSW plays a crucial role in funding their community programs and services. Photo: DAVID COPE"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/","name":"Ballina Times","description":"Free local news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#organization","name":"Ballina Times","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/BallinaTimes.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/07\/BallinaTimes.png","width":697,"height":98,"caption":"Ballina Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/#\/schema\/person\/25bcc2cb3a5fd7fe4016d31a167d1b9b","name":"Angus Smith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/26efae7e8309c8c11543e2c6f737cc0bdcafb91080c575197fd94bdb3c26ea16?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Angus Smith"},"description":"Angus Smith is editor of the Times News Group\u2019s Northern Rivers publications, overseeing editorial direction for the Byron Coast Times, Lismore Times, Tweed Coast Times and Ballina Times.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/angussmithh","angel"],"url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/author\/angussmith\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/178"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100393"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballinatimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=100393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}