Workplace First Aid - Community Support
Operating a small business comes with big responsibilities.
The privilege of having a public profile and loyal customers motivates us to give back to the community when and however we're able. This means actively supporting local, national and international organisations with financial and in-kind donations, sponsorships, raffle prizes and practical aid.
Here are some community organisations Brenniston has recently supported:
FareShare
Our proud association with FareShare spans 12 years of donations and first aid supply.
FareShare rescues food that would otherwise go to waste, and cooks it into 12,000 nutritious meals a day for people in need. It operates with a predominantly volunteer workforce (our Creative Director included) across its Victorian and Queensland kitchen and garden facilities.
Most recently Brenniston donated a new HeartSine defibrillator, storage cabinet and prep. kit to FareShare's largest kitchen garden in Clarinda, Victoria, where 130 FareShare staff and volunteers, many in their retirement years, perform physically demanding work outdoors. They can now be reassured of access to life-saving equipment, should it ever be needed.
"Dear Pia and Michael, thank you for supporting FareShare. It will make a real difference and I’m deeply grateful...Your support provides important safety and peace of mind for our volunteers and kitchen garden supervisor. It enables us to focus on growing vegetables and cooking nutritious meals for people struggling to get by." Marcus Godinho, FareShare CEO
FareShare kitchen garden crew with their Brenniston-donated defibrillator
Progress Pikinini
Progress Pikinini helps the children of Vanuatu have a brighter future by sourcing donations for their education and home life. It also supports community schools, clinics and small hospitals across the Vanuatu islands with medical and first aid supplies. Director Tracey regularly visits our warehouse to fill Vanuatu-bound containers with first aid supplies that are no longer fit-for-purpose according to Australian WHS regulations, but are perfectly safe, functional and much-needed in Vanuatu.
Progress Pikinini workers make up first aid kits in Vanuatu with Brenniston first aid supplies
The Big Umbrella
The Big Umbrella is a 100% volunteer-run organisation addressing issues that impact marginalised people, including those affected by human rights abuse and homelessness. In partnership with our community-minded friends at RealPublishing, we donated urgently needed first aid and safety supplies to flood-affected Lismore communities, transported and distributed by The Big Umbrella as part of their fantastic flood relief work.
Victoria from The Big Umbrella with our driver, Ben, and his van load of donated flood-relief supplies.
Wise Foundation
Answering the call from the Wise Foundation to help boost relief efforts in Timor-Leste after devastating flash floods in April 2021, we sent 7,500 Brenniston Hand Sanitiser sachets with Rotary Donations in Kind West Footscray. These helped to maintain sanitation and to stop the spread of virus and infection amongst rescue workers and residents in the flood-affected area.
Sikh Volunteers Australia (SVA)
Sikh Volunteers Australia cook, deliver and distribute free, fresh vegetarian meals to those in need, including international students, homeless and rough sleepers, and locked-down and natural disaster-affected communities. We have recently donated to their kitchen expansion fundraiser.
Other regular recipients include:
Medical Pantry, Ukraine Direct, Greenfleet, National Heart Foundation of Australia, PBS Community Radio, Multiple Sclerosis Megaswim, Beyond Blue, Human Rights Law Centre, Epworth Medical Foundation, World's Greatest Shave, and countless schools and small community organisations around Australia.