By Emily-Rose Toohey
The Salvation Army held its Red Shield Appeal breakfast in Warwick last Thursday morning, marking the first time the event had taken place on the Southern Downs.
Sixty locals, including Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) Mayor Vic Pennisi and CEO Dave Burges, braved the cold for the organisation’s charitable breakfast which highlighted domestic and family violence.
The Salvation Army’s Simon Gregory said due to the morning’s success, the fundraising event will likely be held annually.
“Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce have really gotten on board with it locally and the Club Warwick RSL (who also hosted the event) have been fantastic, they sponsored the event for us,” Simon said.
“All the money raised stays local and now that we’ve had the breakfast once, I think that we’ll be looking at how we can get extra tables in there next year.”
The breakfast’s theme aimed to shine a spotlight on domestic violence issues and he said that The Salvation Army was looking to expand its services in that sector to assist both women and men in difficult situations.
“Although we’re not a leading player in that space, we want people to know that we’re involved and we do provide these services and work with other organisations,” Simon said.
Working locally on the Southern Downs is Captain Leanne Hardaker, who shared her story with those in attendance last Thursday and emphasised The Red Shield Appeal’s importance.
“People need to know that the Salvation Army is here because it’s another place they can go to if they need assistance – we believe in holistic care,” Leanne said.
“We also can’t do anything we do without money through events like this, which gives us a broader possibility of meeting more needs in the local community.”
In terms of domestic violence, she said that the statistics went through the roof during Covid-19.
“It’s a dangerous situation,” Leanne said.
“Locally, we refer, but always meet any kind of need right then and there.”
Simon said that as part of The Salvation Army’s services, it runs emergency relief funding and provides support for people doing it tough.
“This may include food, clothing, paying for electricity bills, paying for fuel, and also supporting people who’ve been affected by the floods and the drought,” he said.
Another major problem the organisation addresses is the current housing crisis, which Simon said is one of the biggest issues we have faced over the last few decades.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of it yet,” he said.
“There’s not enough affordable housing for people and as a result, we are seeing a growth in homelessness and people having to sleep rough and sleeping in cars, garages, and on friend’s couches.”
Furthermore, he said that The Salvation Army can play a part in helping mitigate the issue.
“We do have homelessness services where we can provide opportunities for people to get housing, but even our ability to get housing stock at the moment is very low,” Simon said.
However, on the Southern Downs, Leanne said they do not directly deal with housing but have a housing referral service in Toowoomba instead.
“The Salvation Army on a broader level is looking at that now,” she said.
Another initiative undertaken by the group is the Positive Lifestyle Program, which Leanne said is a six-week, one-on-one course.
“It steps people through their confidence, self-esteem, and anger to hopefully empower them to be a step closer to leaving situations that are difficult,” she said.
“The average person in domestic violence leaves seven times, which is the same stat as addiction.
“It’s all layered into a person – if they’ve got one problem, they’ve also got at least three.”
In terms of accessing the organisation’s support, Simon said locals in need can contact The Salvation Army in Warwick, Stanthorpe, or Allora, or can access the website.
“Thank you to the local community for getting behind us, without the Red Shield Appeal we wouldn’t be able to do the things we do,” he said.
