Caption: Improvement and Innovation Leader, Liz McCourt with St Vincent De Paul Welfare Hamilton President, Pauline Kelly are coordinating the distribution of funds from the WDHS BigHearts@WDHS staff giving program.
Big-hearted staff at Western District Health Service (WDHS) are providing a community safety net to support people in need during COVID-19.
Big-hearted staff at Western District Health Service (WDHS) are providing a community safety net to support people in need during COVID-19.
The organisation is partnering with St Vincent De Paul to ensure people who suddenly find it difficult to make ends meet due to loss of work, are supported.
It’s all part of Big Hearts@WDHS, a new staff giving program that has already raised in excess of $6,000.
WDHS Improvement and Innovation Leader, Liz McCourt says the program kicked off in May and the response from staff has been inspirational.
“We have over 800 staff at WDHS and many are conscious of how others in the community are faring at the moment.
They really want to help and this is one way they can support people who may not have ever needed assistance before, but find themselves unable to say – pay the rent, their latest heating bill, or car rego,” Ms McCourt said.
The BigHearts@WDHS donations will be distributed through St Vincent De Paul Welfare, and Hamilton President Pauline Kelly says the funds will be used to help people who were previously employed and managing, but have lost their job, or found their hours dramatically reduced.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with WDHS to provide a further safety net for people during the pandemic. I congratulate staff on recognising the need in the community and for really getting behind this great initiative.
The donations will help us to meet gaps in local support services, assisting individuals and families to pay for essential items they might be struggling to fund.
We know that as this pandemic continues on into next year, we will likely see more and more people needing our assistance and it’s wonderful to have this extra support available for our community,” Mrs Kelly said.
St Vincent De Paul Welfare is based at 11 Clarendon Street, Hamilton in the Mary Knoll Centre. During COVID-19 it is open weekdays 2pm to 3pm. Outside these hours please call 03 5571 9859 and leave a message.
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