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SydneyCare is a volunteer-based community services organisation, partnering with a number of different church and community organisations across Sydney and beyond. Linde Managing Director Carl Smith organised the year-long forklift donation of a Baoli 2.5 tonne forklift and two Linde M25 Pallet jacks after hearing an appeal for the charity broadcast on Sydney AM radio station 2GB.
SydneyCare volunteer, director and co-founder, Rev Lorna told listeners that a previously donated forklift needed to be replaced. And that’s when Linde decided to step up to assist a supply chain like no other, at a distribution centre like no other. “We’ve got a very busy 600 square metre warehouse at Macquarie Park donated by Stockland in the basement of an office building,” Rev Lorna explained.
“That’s where our volunteers receive donated goods, store them, make up hampers and send them out to charities and the individuals and families who really need them.
“We receive food donations from companies such as Nestle, Unilever, Masterfoods and Metcash. Often there is very little warning. Usually the company donating the food also gets their transport company to donate the transport and we get a phone call the day before it arrives.
“At the Yennora complex where we have our other warehouse, Linfox, Toll, Kerry Ingredients and AWH are also on site so we can usually whistle up a forklift in a few minutes to load or unload a truck.”
Macquarie Park doesn’t have those options, so SydneyCare really needed a forklift permanently on site there to keep up the flow of hampers which go not only to its own clients but to other groups such as Matthew Talbot, Women’s and Children Refuges, St Vincent de Paul, Anglicare and the Salvation Army.
As well as providing assistance in times of drought, fire and flood (even Tsunamis), SydneyCare also provides food hampers for people who just don’t have even the basics.
“The NSW Department of Housing relies on us when it organises emergency accommodation,” Rev Lorna said. “Sometimes there’s not even a microwave in the house, so they provide a suitable food hamper supplied by us.
“We are very grateful to Linde. Words can’t express our thanks. When I went to the warehouse at 4.30 this morning to prepare for today’s community project I had tears of joy in my eyes to think how wonderful it is that companies such as Linde are prepared to help us.
“Even the boxes we use for our hampers are donated – by Visy, who also designed them for us.
“Forty of them will fit onto one of the pallets which the pallet jacks and forklift donated by Linde are already moving.”