The new Care4Coast Peninsula service had its opening night on Thursday, February 25, with a great turn out and a positive, supportive response from the surrounding community.
Central Coast Disaster Relief (CCDR), in partnership with CWA Woy Woy, has started the new support service on the Peninsula with weekly health check-ups, food, haircuts, and other services.
Founder, Carly Pal, said the demand for services on the Peninsula had grown immensely, so the organisation had decided to bring its successful Gosford service model across to Woy Woy.
“The opening of our Peninsula service was a great night; we had lots of volunteers from CWA and CCDR as well as members of the public who had heard of what was happening and came down,” Pal said.
“They also donated clothes, food and other items and stayed to help serve—it was wonderful.
“I would say around 15 people turned up, which is fantastic for the first night.
“It’s just brilliant having that community involvement, the model that we have established is going quite well, and the support we have received is quite incredible.”
Care4Coast offers a hot meal, clothing, shoes, snack packs, food hampers, toiletries and even school supplies and pet food.
The support service also has a few local nurses who provide non-invasive health checks and hairdressers who give free haircuts.
Orange Sky, a charity mobile laundry service, has also joined in, where community members can have their clothes washed and cleaned for free.
President of CWA, Woy Woy Jane Bowtell, said the service was not just for homeless people but for anyone in the community who needed support.
“This isn’t just for the homeless but for the people who live in social housing, single parents, families in crisis, pensioners, and elderly people who are struggling financially,” Bowtell said.
“People can come and get a meal if they want it, they can get a haircut, and wash their clothes, but they can also come and meet other people in the community and have that social interaction and connection.
“This is two different community organisations coming together to try and provide a holistic service that benefits the whole community, in a way that promotes being a part of something and being friendly and kind to each other.”
Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, attended the opening night and welcomed the community’s new support service.
“Across our community, too many people are struggling both financially and emotionally; the impact of COVID-19 has only exacerbated these struggles,” Tesch said.
She encouraged community members to support the initiative and contact CCDR via its Facebook page to donate much-needed items.
Pal said they were still open to local businesses who wanted to help out and provide a support service, including food outlets, hairdressers, and opportunity shops.
“It would be nice to have some local Peninsula people involved in this,” Pal said.
“This service really depends on the community, getting the word out there, and spreading awareness of this service.”
Care4Coast Peninsula service is hosted every Thursday evening from 6 pm at CWA Woy Woy, 30 The Boulevarde, Woy Woy.
Hayley McMahon