Dorothy Hayes has been collecting donations for the Salvation Army’s annual Christmas hamper appeal for 18 years and the 84-year-old doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
A resident of Glengara Retirement Village at Tumbi Umbi, Dorothy has been a Salvationist all her life.
“I remember worshipping at Dulwich Hill as a toddler and then my husband and I would worship at the different places we lived,” she said.
“We lived on St Huberts Island for 22 years and decided 20 years ago we needed to move so we both came to Glengara.”
Soon after moving in, Dorothy asked for permission from the village to collect for the Salvos’ Red Shield Appeal in May and has been doing it every year since, leaving notices around the village and often collecting more than $1,000 for the annual appeal.
“Then when Christmas comes around they allow me to put something in the Village Gazette and put up a few signs asking for donations for the Christmas hampers,” she said.
“Luckily I have a double garage to store the donations and I collect them every year from the beginning of the month up to December 12, when they are collected by the Salvos.”
A regular worshipper with the Gosford Corps, Dorothy hasn’t let a broken pelvis and hip socket sustained last year through a fall hold her back and still attends Sunday services.
This year, Dorothy collected almost double the amount of donations she usually receives.
“There are about 400 people living here and the village is lovely for allowing me to collect – a lot of villages wouldn’t allow that,” she said.
Dorothy said she felt the increase in donations came from the knowledge that cost-of-living pressures are affecting many families this year.
Village Manager Kylie Byrne said Dorothy received a great deal of support from the village community.
“We have some really generous residents,” she said.
On December 12, when members of the Gosford Corps came to collect the goods, Dorothy’s double garage was almost full of toys and food items – the most donations she has received in the 18 years she has been collecting for the Salvos.
Although she sadly lost her husband Max in 2016, Dorothy plans to continue collecting for the Salvos.
“I have been blessed with very good health and thank the Lord every day,” she said.
“I have also always been a great believer in the power of prayer.”