By Natalie BennettThursday 11 Jan 2024NewsReading Time: 3 minutes

Updated 30 January 2024

Gold Coast Churches together have provided more than $60,000 in emergency relief including more than 900 emergency food hampers to those impacted by the recent storms.

While the media cycle has moved on, there’s an urgent need for volunteers to assist with the on-going clean-up efforts across the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast Church Leaders Round Table shared “a short video message from our volunteer teams now helping people to clean up the mess.  A huge thanks for the team at Newlife for putting this resource together in time for the weekend for us all, and for Global Care, Samaritans Purse, Convoy of Hope and Volunteers Gold Coast for partnering to support our volunteers to be part of this important work!” and asked the community to consider how they could share the word and assist in the on-going work.

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If you’re able assist with the clean-up and interested in joining a Clean-up Crew you can find out more at volunteeringgc.org.au/.

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The Clean-up Begins – Storm Recovery and How You Can Help

As the storm recovery across our city continues to evolve, community groups have rallied together to mobilise volunteer Cleanup Crews to help remove debris and restore property, with a particular focus on supporting the most vulnerable in our communities.

Following the large-scale storms that Gold Coast Church over the holiday season, the Gold Coast Leaders Round Table, Convoy of Hope, Love This City, Hillsong CityCare and Volunteer Gold Coast have partnered together to mobilise volunteer teams and raise support for families in our community who are still rebuilding their lives after the storms.

If you’re able to provide support, here are a few ways you can help your community in this season.

Volunteer

Working with Global Care and Volunteering Gold Coast you can join a Cleanup Crew to help restore damaged properties in impacted communities. To start with, our focus will be Mudgeeraba and Bonogin but as volunteer teams grow, we hope to expand into other zones in the city.

To find out more and to register as a volunteer visit volunteeringgc.org.au/

Please note: We’re partnering with Global Care and Volunteering Gold Coast so that our volunteer teams will be better supported, coordinated and equipped for this work.  The need is huge so thank you in advance for connecting your community with this opportunity to lend a hand.

Request Cleanup Assistance

We know that some of those most in need of assistance will often find it difficult to access help. If you know someone who needs help but doesn’t have access to support from insurance on the Community Response Hubs, please reach out so we can help you to help them!

Contact Andy Backhouse from Global Care to request help.

Food hampers

The need for food hampers continues to grow, with Love This City and Hillsong CityCare aiming to provide 35 hampers per day for the next two weeks via the Community Response Hubs in Upper Coomera (CityCare) and Mudgeeraba (Love This City).

If you’d like to donate food items from the food list below, please drop them off to our teams at the Hamper centres which have now been set up at Hillsong Nerang and Our Church in Burleigh.

Each hamper will include the following items, we invite you to contribute what you can;

• Baked Beans – 4 cans
• Tuna – 4 cans
• Long Life Milk – 2 litres
• Wheat Bix
• Instant Noodles – 5
• Pasta – 2
• Pasta Sauce – 2
• Muesli Bars
• Crackers
• Potato Chips
• Jam
• Peanut Butter or Vegemite
• Tinned Fruit
• Lollies
• Box of Tea Bags
• Instant Coffee

If you’d prefer to donate funds toward food hampers this can be done online via lovethiscity.org.au/natural-disaster or Hillsong CItyCare.

Chaplains / Pastoral Care volunteers

The need for Pastoral Care / Chaplain support is substantial, and Gold Coast Churches have been asked to provide Chaplains at both the Coomera and Mudgeeraba Community Response Hubs for the next two weeks.

The shifts are 12-4pm daily.

If you have qualifications and experience in this area and are able to volunteer some time as a Chaplain or have suitably trained and experienced people in your team who might volunteer, please reach out to Leah Kahika who is coordinating the Chaplaincy response team.