As temperatures continue to drop across the region, New England Support Services (NESS) is calling on the community to help ensure nobody faces winter without a warm blanket.
The organisation’s Winter Warmth Drive is collecting clean blankets, doonas, throws, sleeping bags and other warm bedding to distribute free of charge to people who need them, with Director Troy Jackson-Rose saying the initiative has already received an overwhelmingly positive response.
“We’re hoping that more people have donated than people have asked for blankets,” Mr Jackson-Rose said.
“For everyone that asks for blankets, currently we’ve got two or three donated blankets.”
The idea grew out of another recent community effort after one of the organisation’s clients experienced a mental health episode and gave away all of her belongings.
“We reached out to the community to ask for donations of furniture and stuff, and we completely refurnished her unit for free, which was amazing,” he said.
“And so we went, ‘How else can we help?'”
With around 40 support workers in Armidale and spare storage capacity at its facilities, NESS realised it was well placed to coordinate donations and get them into the hands of people who need them.
“We’ve got the place to store them in the meantime, and we’ve got the staff to be able to divvy them out, pick them up and collect them,” Mr Jackson-Rose said.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
While donations have flowed in, encouraging people to seek assistance has been a greater challenge.
“We knew that it would be tough because it is difficult to accept help, and it’s even more difficult to ask for help,” he said.
Even so, requests are steadily increasing, with two people reaching out for blankets in a single day this week. Any surplus donations will be distributed through other local support organisations to ensure they remain free for those who need them.
“We thought about donating them to the op shops, but we want them to be given to the community for free,” he said.
Although NESS primarily provides disability support services, Mr Jackson-Rose said the organisation’s broader mission is to make a positive difference wherever it can.
“The whole point of NESS is to make a meaningful impact on someone else’s life,” he said.
“But it’s not just our clients. It’s our staff, it’s the community that supports us and our clients.”
He believes mounting cost-of-living pressures are making initiatives like the Winter Warmth Drive and the other support work that NESS do increasingly important.
“The cost of living has admittedly had a bit of a delayed impact, but now it’s compounding and getting worse,” he said.
“Rental prices are going through the roof, availability is plummeting, and the cost of living is just absolutely nuts.”
Mr Jackson-Rose said many of the organisation’s clients rely on the Disability Support Pension while facing rapidly rising housing and grocery costs.
“Anything we can do to help turn the tide on that, we’re all for,” he said.
NESS is encouraging anyone with spare clean bedding to get involved and is equally urging people who may need assistance not to hesitate in reaching out.
“We’ll keep it running for as long as it’s cold,” Mr Jackson-Rose said of the campaign.
“We ideally want to give away 100 per cent of it.”
People wishing to donate or request blankets can contact NESS via Facebook Messenger or by emailing their office directly at Admin@NESupportServices.com.au or calling (02) 6707 2834.
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