By Casey Neill
A seemingly-endless stream of Keysborough students carried armfuls of donations into Bob’s Place in Dandenong.
The Launch Housing homeless support service gratefully received baked beans, noodles, clothes, sleeping bags, blankets, books, toiletries and more on Thursday 16 November.
Year 8 students from Minaret College were behind the haul.
It took two buses to transport all the students and donations to the centre.
Samirah, 13, explained that a committee of about 15 students spoke to other year levels about Bob’s Place and its work.
“We motivated them to bring in donations,” she said.
They were inundated over a two-week collection period.
“For the junior kids, we put boxes in their classrooms,” Samirah said.
Monitors kept an eye on the boxes to ensure they didn’t overflow.
“Nearly every day we had to go and empty them,” she said.
Students in Years 7 to 12 placed their donations in a chemistry lab.
Sama, 14, said the project has made her feel grateful for what she had.
“You just want to help them,” she said.
“We just want to make sure everyone has what we have.”
A Launch Housing staff member said the donation was amazing and would “make a massive difference”.
“We’ll go through it all and hand out suitable items,” she said.
“It also highlights homelessness in this community.
“They’re so young but have that drive already to help people.”
This is the school’s fourth or fifth donation to Launch Housing, which provided guidance on the best items to collect.
Bob’s Place has 15 rooms and can support up to 260 people each year.
The centre helps with crisis accommodation and support to attain and hold onto longer-term housing.
Numan, 14, said: “It feels really satisfying that we can actually provide for the unfortunate. It’s good to set a good example.”
He said the donation was about human decency as well as an aspect of the Islamic faith.
Mobeen, 14, explained: “As Muslims we’re taught to share and to be generous. It’s one of the pillars of Islam.”
