By Casey Neill
The community has rallied around the Dandenong and Springvale benevolent societies, helping them to help Greater Dandenong’s most vulnerable.
City of Greater Dandenong Living Treasure and Medal of the Order of Australia recipient Peter Jabbour donated $500 to each group on Wednesday 21 September.
Dandenong and District Benevolent Society manager Margaret Ladner said the generous offer was one of many.
On 20 July this year the Journal reported her call for blankets to warm those who were shivering through winter.
The community responded with hundreds of donations.
“I even got a parcel from Brisbane with new blankets,” Ms Ladner said.
“It was unbelievable.
“I should hope that nobody in Dandenong is going cold.”
She said Mr Jabbour’s assistance “means more food for somebody”.
“I’m just listening to the news all the time and they’re saying they’re cutting the welfare,” she said.
“The people coming in, I don’t know how they manage these big rents.”
The Lions Club of Dandenong followed Mr Jabbour’s visit with a food hamper delivery.
Lion Alan Pinder read about the society in the Journal and said it prompted the club to do its bit to support Ms Ladner and her team.
“We used to help many years ago,” he said.
“Now we want to start again. From this month, every three months we want to give them lots of groceries donated by our members – in September, December, March, June.
“We’re bringing two boxes of toys in as well.
“We want to help Margaret help the community.”
For the first time in decades the two benevolent societies last year missed out on a Federal Government Department of Social Services (DSS) emergency funding grant, leaving their budgets tens of thousands of dollars short.
Springvale Benevolent Society president Joe Rechichi said every donation helped.
“I don’t care if it’s $5 or $500 or $5000 – every dollar counts,” he said.
“Every bit of the dollar goes back into the community.
“We’re operating at 75 per cent.
“I wish I could click my fingers and just fix the problems.
“The problem is much greater than most people realise.”
Mr Rechichi said the group serviced 725 families and individuals last financial year, almost 60 per cent from Noble Park and 15 per cent from Springvale.
“Our service is a completely free service,” he said.
“The community rely on us to keep on going and drive forward.
“We try to do that to the best of our ability.
“Our group is getting smaller, demand is getting higher.”
He said council rate rises and welfare cuts hit people hard, and reacted angrily to recent reports about Newstart Allowance dole-bludgers.
“I wish some of our politicians would get off their bum and come and talk to me,” he said.
“$38 a day doesn’t do anything. They’re paying $170 a week in rent so they have less than $50 a week to live on.
“They need to be helped.
“There’s no future living on social benefits. It’s just survival.”
