Last week, Edith Chen, Carolina Sevcikova, Shraddha Sharma and I volunteered at RIMERN in East Brunswick. We joined members from the Rotary Clubs of Glenferrie and Preston on organising, sorting, cleaning and packing goods.
It was an enjoyable, friendly afternoon and not hard work. Thanks to Ros McMaster for your encouragement All members are free to participate and encouraged to attend on Thursdays when our team is rostered on.
The store is located at 32 Lincoln Street East Brunswick on the corner of Moreland Road. 1pm-4pm.
BREAKING NEWS!
RIMERN has been awarded a coveted Centenary of Rotary in Australia Grant for $25,000 from the wonderful Rotary Club of Balwyn to enable us to buy our own VAN!! This is the best news and we are so grateful to Rotary Balwyn for their generosity!
RIMERN has been awarded a coveted Centenary of Rotary in Australia Grant for $25,000 from the wonderful Rotary Club of Balwyn to enable us to buy our own VAN!! This is the best news and we are so grateful to Rotary Balwyn for their generosity!
It’s our Birthday soon! …On 16th June 2022 RIMERN (Rotary Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief Network) will celebrate 12 months since moving in to our warehouse at 32-34 Lincoln Street East Brunswick, sharing space & costs with strategic partner Canard Solutions who are also significant donors of rehomeable goods for our project.
Nearly 12 months on, look at us now!
Fifteen member Rotary Clubs are now members supporting this Centenary of Rotary in Australia Community & Environmental Service project, collecting donated furniture, appliances and homewares and supplying them to people in need who have been referred by one of our sixteen welfare agency members.
So far we have supplied 101 orders, almost whole house lots of goods to 330 people at a greatly discounted/second hand value of around $128,558, supported by a growing team of 93 volunteers from member clubs Rotary Prahran, Albert Park, North Melbourne, Carlton, Canterbury, Camberwell, Chadstone/East Malvern, Balwyn, North Balwyn, Glenferrie, Flemington/Kensington, Central Melbourne, Melbourne, Pascoe Vale, Preston AND from wonderful community supporters, many who knew nothing about Rotary before they heard about RIMERN!
Already we have around 840 followers on our RIMERN facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/495145215239091 building widespread awareness and community support and more joining every week!
The demand for RIMERN support is growing every week, with orders coming in from the 84 accredited Case Managers from our agency members (all have to undergo online training before they can order) and our need for quality stocks is growing urgently too.
We need help with stocking the warehouse now!
How can you help?
- We urgently need good quality stock, contemporary/modern & smaller furniture, appliances including fridges, washing machines, dryers, microwaves and all the basic small appliances, plain coloured linen, new/newish towels, bath mats, bedding (no marks, stains or tears), spotless inner spring mattresses & bases (none that need assembly please) in single, double or queen sizes, modern smaller sofas, arm chairs, dining tables, lowline TV units, bedside units, coffee & lamp tables, smaller book cases and modern lamps.
For a full list of what we collect, what we don’t take & why, please refer to our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/495145215239091/about
- We also need 2 new members of the Donated Goods team, currently a wonderful team of 4 captained by Rotary Canterbury’s Gilly Swinnerton, comprising Rotarians Heather Harris (Pascoe Vale), Joan Luscak (Glen Eira) and donor/community supporter Ros Pach.
- OP SHOP COORDINATOR(S)
Someone who can work from home by phone and email, to contact Op Shops in our catchment areas of the cities of Stonnington, Glen Eira, Port Phillip, Melbourne, Yarra, Darebin, Moreland and surrounds, to introduce RIMERN (what we do, what we need, how we can collect the goods or receive then in the warehouse) so that rather than turn away furniture, electrical goods and other items that they may not usually sell, they can redirect the donation to us.
- COMMERCIAL APPLIANCE & FURNITURE HUNTER(S)
Someone who is good at sales & cold calling who can target major furniture retailers who may have seconds, returns or trade ins that could be suitable for our needs, to introduce RIMERN & build a relationship that directs their surplus to us.
This is a one by one approach, requiring research, persistence, meeting them face to face, maybe hosting their community service or Corporate Social Responsibility coordinator to our warehouse…. It’ll be challenging but SO rewarding if we can get our foot in the door of a couple!
If you can help with any of the above, please email donatedgoods@rimern.org.au
Our warehouse team, supervised by Richard Chater on Tuesdays, Keith Ryall on Wednesdays and Ros McMaster on Thursdays are doing a great job, ably supported by the Goods Selection Hosts, captained by Susan Robb (Rotary North Melbourne) and supported by Yvette D’Mello (Rotary Prahran), Ruth McCall (PE Rotary Preston) & Carmel Jolley (friend of Rotary Balwyn). This team could do with some regular help from fit & fun people who can move furniture selected for orders into the dispatch area & ensure that all orders are complete.
CAN ANYONE IN YOUR CLUB HELP WITH THIS? If so please contact Susan Robb (lsrobb@netspace.net.au) to be rostered on
Volunteering at RIMERN changes lives, it’s local, it’s flexible & most importantly FUN! If you haven’t been yet, please put your hand up, if you have been, please go again.
The need for our help is growing and RIMERN is a way that we can make a difference at minimal cost.