Receiving their brand new back to school backpacks yesterday, Deputy Premier John Barilaro, left, Ebor Public School Principal Lee Rose, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall, GIVIT Founder and Director Juliette Wright with Ebor students Wyatt and Aria Brauer.
Friday, 24 January 2020
SCHOOL students from the fire-affected community of Ebor have been kitted out with new shoes and backpacks just in time for the start of school next week, thanks to the generosity of the public and State Government partner organisation GIVIT, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announced today.
Mr Marshall and Deputy Premier John Barilaro joined GIVIT founder Juliette Wright yesterday to present students from Ebor Public School with backpacks loaded with donated school supplies.
Mr Marshall said the items, pledged by donors through GIVIT, meant parents had one less thing to worry about as the community continues to recover from bushfires and drought.
“GIVIT’s website is a practical and efficient way of donating directly to people in need matching generosity with genuine need,” Mr Marshall said.
“The Ebor bushfires have left a scar on the landscape and an emotional toll on the community and so what GIVIT has done today, in conjunction the State Government and Armidale Regional Council, is to relieve the financial burden associated with getting children ready for school.
“Next week each of Ebor Public Schools 18 students will be rocking up to class with a new back pack, new shoes and hopefully a big smile.”
Mr Marshall said all up GIVIT had injected more than $6,000 directly into Guyra’s local economy through direct purchases of goods and service vouchers at local businesses.
“Christmas might be over but it is still as important as ever to make sure we buy from the bush,” Mr Marshall said.
“Not only were all of the goodies for the school kids bought from Guyra businesses but through the generosity of Juliette Wright and GIVITS’ donors more than $1,000 worth of vouchers were bought from a local hairdresser to be distributed throughout the community.
“Our business owners are also doing it tough as a result of drought so I thank GIVIT for the focus it has put on not only supporting the needs of locals but ensuring those needs are met by locals.”
Mr Marshall said as fire affected communities across the electorate moved into the recovery phase a high level of co-ordination will be needed to ensure donations get to where they are needed.
“People who want to donate goods and services should do so using the GIVIT website at www.givit.org.au, where they can pledge what they have available,” he said.
“The willingness of Australians to lend a hand, asking nothing in return, is no surprise but always amazes and the stories keep coming in about communities collecting goods and people driving them hundreds of kilometres to bush fire-affected areas.
“We will continue to welcome the generosity of people willing to donate but we need a more organised approach so that people do not have to sort the hundreds of thousands of items now stockpiled across regional NSW and then get them to where they are needed.”