Community groups get Federal funding

VOLUNTEERS were celebrated last week at a morning tea hosted by the Member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters, where she announced the recipients from the 2022-23 volunteer grants.

The grants, between $1000 to $5000, go to not-for-profit groups to support volunteers with things like training, fuel vouchers, and equipment.

“For a lot of these groups $5000 is a lot of money to raise on your own,” Ms Chesters said.

“These grants help people purchase the equipment that they need or support volunteers in other ways.”

This funding round the selection committee prioritised organisations whose primary goal is to help others.

“What I really like about this grant is that it’s an expression of interest to your MP and then I have a local reference committee that works out which groups are to be prioritised,” Ms Chesters said.

“So it’s a local decision and local input into the groups that we feel have the best projects.”

The 18 recipients of this funding round included Bendigo Community Toy Library, Long Gully Neighbourhood Centre, Emu Creek Men’s Shed.

Zonta Bendigo grants coordinator Kathryn Patarica, whose club also received funding, said opportunities like this help service clubs purchase what they need to operate without taking from the people they serve.

“Our purpose is to fundraise money to assist women and children primarily, and we don’t want to be raising money to not put it towards what our cause is,” she said.

Ms Chesters said to meet current need a second round of volunteer grants will be announced in the coming months.