Since we moved into our warehouse at 32-34 Lincoln Street, East Brunswick we’ve been operating under difficult conditions with no lift, lockdown after lockdown and learning as we go, but in spite of the challenges, thanks to all our member Clubs’ support and the mentorship of EERN & WERN, we’re now ready to start rostering volunteers, for the Authorised Work (with Permits issued) required to get our stock sorted, the warehouse functioning and orders flowing out the door to our welfare agency clients.

Our milestones include:

• We have fully Deductible Gift Recipient status and all donations are fully tax deductible!
  
  
• We have an almost fully stocked warehouse, with furniture, appliances, linen and homewares!
  
  
• We have 8 welfare agencies signed up as members and we’ve already supplied 8 client orders (with an average second hand value of $1,200 each!)
  
  
• Our lift is now working so all our space is usable.
  
  
• We have relationships with several commercial donors of furniture and homewares that are supplying significant quantities of high quality goods
  
  
• Our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/495145215239091 has over 300 followers (please ‘like’ it yourself & invite all your friends & family to do likewise as we are getting offers of donations & volunteers via this page!)
  
  
• Canard Solutions is proving to be the best ever sub-tenant as they’re helping with shelving, labour and even pick up of donations (when they’re not busy with paid jobs) as well as the obvious help with rent and overheads
  
  
• We are now 13 member Clubs, with more considering membership every month!

Prahran, Albert Park, North Melbourne, Carlton, Canterbury, Camberwell, Balwyn, North Balwyn, Chadstone/East Malvern, Central Melbourne, Flemington/Kensington, Pascoe Vale & Melbourne are current members, and all reps are actively supporting the project.

NOW WE NEED A REGULAR VOLUNTEER TEAM, can you help?
NB, to be covid safe, all volunteers must be fully vaccinated, wear a mask while on duty, check in on arrival with our QR code, enter their details on the time sheet on arrival and departure and only volunteer on one designated day per fortnight. Our space will allow for social distancing in each work area, we have hand sanitiser available on site and all volunteers will be issued with Authorised Work Permits as our category of “End of lease furniture removal/Domestic & Commercial Waste/resource recovery service” is permissible and the Care of people exiting homelessness et al cannot happen without the collection of goods.

Days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays

Morning Shift: 9.30 – 12.30

Afternoon Shift: 12.30 – 3.30

Warehouse Volunteers Required (X 2 people per job per shift):

Warehouse :
Tasks sorting donated furniture, moving stock (with trolleys, dolleys & pallet jack)

Assembling client orders, steam cleaning sofas, wiping down appliances, sorting waste metal, other tasks as required.
If possible the warehouse volunteers might also double as truck driver & jockey for donation collection.

Linen Lads or Lassies

Tasks: sorting, sizing, folding, packing & labelling the mountains of doonas, blankets, mattress protectors and other bedding into size lots,

Sorting the linen room into some sort of workable order, collate client orders.

Kitchen Kit Kids

Unpacking, washing, sorting, stacking then repacking all the donations of kitchen goods, we set up packs for 4 & 6 so that orders can be supplied with prepacks.

Also sorting donations of electrical appliances ready for test & tag (ably coordinated by Rob Head & Steve Clarke).

Volunteers working from home

Donated Goods Coordinator(s)

We need one or two people to coordinate goods donations, not an onerous task but vital.

It entails:

• Understanding what we do & don’t accept (& why)
• Speaking with the potential donors & finding out what they want to donate (size, age, condition etc), where it’s located & when it must be collected by.
  Request they send photos if not sure about the acceptability.
• Adding the goods to the collection list/spreadsheet OR arrange for donor to deliver (NB someone must greet donor & they may not bring other goods without approval. Our warehouse staff reserves the right to reject goods that are unsuitable as it costs us $$ to dispose of junk).
• Organising pick up with the collections driver(s) & jockeys, advising the warehouse managers when the goods will be delivered so that space is available & stock can be put away not dumped. We plan to have a regular mid-week collection day & 2 Saturdays a month.

Other jobs will emerge as time goes on, but if you can help with the tasks above, please send your details, including full name, DOB & home address (for permit info) and task/day/shift preference to Rohan Williams rdwrcm@gmail.com asap?

Any questions re tasks, please contact susie.cole@rotaryprahran.org.au or 0414 907 263.

Soon we hope to be able to organise Club working bees, to get small teams from member clubs involved, there’s lots to do, it’s fun to work together and our clients are so grateful for the goods we provide, thanks everyone!

If you would like to learn more about RIMERN and potential service opportunities, please contact either Rotary Melbourne's Catherine Baxter or Richard Parker.

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