Lions Australia pledges support for Women’s Community Shelters

PAYCE Foundation charity partner Women’s Community Shelters (WCS) has struck a three-year agreement with Lions Australia in Sydney to help more women and children fleeing domestic violence.

The agreement was announced at the Lions Australia Sydney District Convention (CHECK) held in Castle Hill recently.

The PAYCE Foundation was a sponsor of the event which attracted club members from across Sydney.

The Lions support package from individual clubs can include:

Supporting WCS as an ongoing program, physically and financially on a volunteer basis.
Lions clubs currently conduct non-perishable food collections and could provide this food to WCS as their preferred cause.
Support WCS in identifying if there is a need for a Shelter and assist with ‘fitout’ and required items for the home, such as kitchen, bedding, and white goods.
Inviting guest speakers from WCS to attend Lions club dinners to have a conversation around the importance of the work and support undertaken with the issue of domestic violence.
Fundraising events to not only promote WCS but to highlight the issue.

PAYCE Foundation Director Dominic Sullivan said it was heartening to see WCS, which operates shelters across Sydney, receiving further support.

“The statistics on women fleeing domestic violence remain alarming, and with extra resources WCS can certainly provide more support,’’ he said.

“Lions have an outstanding record over many decades of providing community support where it is most needed.

“I am sure the partnership will deliver on-the-ground results and we are pleased to have played a small role in bringing two outstanding organisations together.’’

PAYCE Foundation celebrate 20 years of Sydney Street Choir

The Sydney Street Choir today celebrated its 20th anniversary with a special concert for the public held in Martin Place.

PAYCE Foundation has been a proud supporter of the choir for over eight years, more recently funding a social worker to provide support to vulnerable choir members.

Jonathan Welch formed the group in 2001 as a way of offering support through song to people dealing with homelessness, mental illness and addiction.

PAYCE Foundation signs up to support sick kids’ families

The PAYCE Foundation has signed up for three years to support renowned charity Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Western Sydney (RMHC GWS) which helps the families of seriously ill and injured children.

PAYCE Foundation signs up to support sick kids’ families

Under the $60,000 donation agreement, PAYCE Foundation will sponsor a room for families to stay close by their children as they receive vital medical treatment.

Many children travel from regional areas for specialist treatment at The Children’s Hospital Westmead – and RMHC GWS has been assisting their families with accommodation and support since 1981.

The home-away-from-home service bridges the gap and keeps families together during an incredibly challenging time.

According to Belinda Woolford, CEO at Ronald McDonald House Charities GWS, Payce Foundation’s sponsorship of a two-bedroom apartment for three years at the House means more than just accommodation.

“For families staying with us, a Room Sponsor like Payce Foundation represents security,’’ said Belinda.

“It says to families with sick kids that the community is behind them during their most vulnerable moments.

“We’re proud and hugely thankful to be partnering with this wonderful Foundation.”

With over 2100 families supported annually, RMHC GWS provides warm beds, hot showers, laundry facilities, family-friendly kitchens and indoor/outdoor play areas – all the essentials of a family home

As hospital stays, treatments and surgeries increase annually, so does the demand for the much-needed service.

PAYCE Foundation Director Miled Akle said: “We are delighted to partner with RMHC GWS who have an outstanding record of assisting sick children and their families.’’

“For children and their family, it is so important to keep them together as a connected unit while treatment is ongoing.

“With the pandemic disrupting so much of our lives, the work of RMHC GWS has become even more important.

“We hope our support will help some of those children and their families during their challenging journey, see the completion of treatment and a return to a happy and healthy life together.’’

PAYCE Foundation assists 35 charities in 2021

The PAYCE Foundation has launched its Impact Report for 2021, with $3.03 million donated to 35 charities.

PAYCE Foundation assists 35 charities in 2021

View the PAYCE Foundation 2021 Impact Report here.

The Foundation focuses on the following key areas:

Addiction
Homelessness and social isolation
Domestic and family violence
Youth employment and support
Community support.

The PAYCE Foundation is dedicated to helping the most vulnerable in our community, and we know that the challenges of COVID and lockdown were equally felt by the charity partners we support.

The Foundation’s social enterprise Kick Start was established to give youth a chance to get on-the-job experience and training in hospitality.

But for Kick Start, which operates a fleet of food trailers on Sydney construction sites, there was a higher calling.

In partnership with the Melrose Park community, we reactivated the Melrose Park Meal Share with the Kick Start team, preparing and delivering meals to people in need during the lockdown.

Having initiated the service in early 2020, Kick Start delivered another 15,000 healthy and nourishing meals over the three months of lockdown in 2021 with the help of a group of dedicated volunteers.

While this work was a highlight, the Foundation continued to make a real difference to hundreds of lives working with its charity partners in the areas of addiction, homelessness, youth employment and domestic violence.

The newly built Adele House rehabilitation facility outside Coffs Harbour is delivering excellent results, assisting more men to recover from the damaging effects of drug and alcohol addiction and supporting them in getting their lives back on track.

We are also proud of our partnership with the Parramatta Women’s Shelter, which is now helping more women escape domestic violence and start a new life.

The End Street Sleeping Collaboration is NSW’s largest and most ambitious collective impact project as it aims to halve rough sleeping by 2025 and end it by 2030. As a founding partner, we are proud of the catalytic impact of our support.

The success stories in this year’s report are inspiring. They are a testament to the hard work of the PAYCE Foundation team and all our incredible charity partners.

End Street Sleeping making giant strides but more to be done

Giant strides are being made in the battle to end rough sleeping homelessness in NSW, but now is the time for more organisations to join the End Street Sleeping Collaboration, PAYCE Foundation Director Dominic Sullivan said.

End Street Sleeping making giant strides but more to be done

Mr Sullivan said the COVID-19 pandemic had disproportionately affected the disadvantaged, including the homeless.

“The PAYCE Foundation decided to support the End Street Sleeping Collaboration in 2019 because it is a joint effort including the leading charitable homeless services organisations, the NSW Government and the philanthropic sector,’’ Mr Sullivan told a recent lunch of business leaders.

“We are seeing the fruits of the efforts of the Collaboration already, but if we can garner more support from the private sector, we can drive the initiative further and help more people get a roof over their head.’’

End Street Sleeping Collaboration CEO Graham West said 800 packages of housing and support services for people who were sleeping rough or in temporary accommodation had been rolled out in 2020-21.

“We are making significant progress and when we compare our efforts to other Collaborations around the world, we are doing exceptionally well,” Mr West said.

“Now is a critical time, after the pandemic, to push on and end street sleeping.”

In 2019, End Street Sleeping Collaboration partnered with Microsoft to develop the By Name List.

The By-Name List is a real-time database that is shared by frontline service providers to access information they need to provide sustainable housing and support services to people experiencing homelessness – without the person needing to retell their story.

“This real-time information is making a huge difference, not only helping clients find housing, but also assist them find the right support services, so they do not return to the streets,’’ Mr West said.

The St Vincent De Paul Society says women over the age of 55 are the fastest growing group impacted by homelessness with a 33 percent increase in numbers in the past year alone.

The Executive Director of Vinnies Services, Ms Niamh Mannion, said many of these women are hidden from public view, often finding themselves initially couch-surfing to escape an abusive partner and then drifting into homelessness.

“Most of the women I speak to who come to us, they’ve come to us because they have been sleeping in their car after escaping a very dangerous situation for them and their children”, explained Ms Mannion at the business lunch.

“They usually come into contact with us through a St Vincent De Paul shop because they see it as a welcoming, safe place. They come in and speak to one of our volunteers and we’re then in a good position to direct them to the right place for help.”

PAYCE Foundation extends support for JRS refugee employment program

The PAYCE Foundation has pledged $100,000 to the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Employment Program which assists people seeking asylum and refugees to find work in Australia.

PAYCE Foundation extends support for JRS refugee employment program

The funds will be used to fund an employment co-ordinator, part fund a project worker and assist with client education and training costs.

This year’s grant is an extension of a funding agreement which assisted 117 clients with skills training to help them gain meaningful employment.

The objectives of the program include:

Assist clients make connections with local businesses
Provide work readiness training
Assist clients undertake vocational and accredited training courses
Facilitate social networks for clients through organized events and workshops
Increase clients’ digital literacy skills and access to technology.

PAYCE Foundation Director Dominic Sullivan said the JRS program was delivering excellent outcomes for people who were in desperate need of assistance.

“The situation for people seeking asylum and refugees has been particularly challenging over the past two years with employment opportunities limited due to COVID-19,’’ he said.

“Despite this, JRS has managed to help many clients transition to a better quality of life including meaningful work.

“We are delighted that we can assist JRS continue its vital work.’’

JRS Australia Assistant Country Director Maeve Brown said the Foundation grant was very much appreciated.

“JRS would like to sincerely thank the PAYCE Foundation for its continued support during these challenging times,” she said.

“Employment is really the only way forward for the people we serve, as emergency relief from charities is not enough to live off and people seeking asylum and temporary migrants remain ineligible for Government Centrelink payments or any other form of financial safety net.

“We appreciate being able to partner with the PAYCE Foundation to ensure that people can rebuild their lives in safety and with dignity in Australia.”

Meal Share receives Parramatta Australia Day Awards nomination

The PAYCE Foundation-backed COVID-19 meal delivery service, Melrose Park Meal Share, has been recognised by the City of Parramatta with a nomination in the Australia Day Awards in the Community Group category.

Meal Share receives Parramatta Australia Day Awards nomination

The PAYCE Foundation re-introduced the meal delivery service to Melrose Park and surrounding suburbs when Sydney went into lockdown in July last year.

The meal service, including food preparation and delivery management, was run by the PAYCE Foundation’s social enterprise Kick Start, which provides hospitality training for young people.

The Kick Start’s commercial kitchen was used to prepare the meals.

A staggering 15,000 free meals were delivered to those struggling under the pressure of lockdown.

Community leaders played a key role in identifying and connecting people who might need help, including the elderly, those in isolation, key workers, people who have lost their jobs, families struggling financially and those with a disability.

When the service wrapped up in October last year, 262 recipients and 157 households had received the nutritious meals for every day of the week.

PAYCE Foundation Director Dominic Sullivan said the nomination was well-deserved recognition for all those involved.

“The Melrose Park Meal Share is an outstanding example of a community-based project making a real difference to people’s lives,’’ he said.

“Last year’s lock-down was extremely challenging for many people who were doing it tough and unable to get food on the table.

“While so many people made the project a success, a special mention to the Kick Start team which were able to pivot and create 15,000 highly nutritious and tasty free meals and get them delivered on time every week.

“It was a truly remarkable effort.

“We would also like to thank the wonderful community members and volunteers who made the project such a success.’’

St Merkorious Charity’s Christmas lunch alive with festive spirit

After a challenging year for many Australians, Paynter Dixon and PAYCE Foundation appreciated the opportunity to support St Merkorious Charity at their Christmas lunch in Prince Alfred Park, Parramatta.

Lights of Christmas returns to St Mary’s Cathedral

The annual Lights of Christmas at St Mary’s Cathedral is again proving a major drawcard with families. The Lights are again being presented by Paynter Dixon.

Lights of Christmas returns to St Mary's Cathedral

From 9th to 25th December, St Mary’s Cathedral will be bathed in spectacular visual effects and complemented with a beautiful soundtrack, providing a stunning and meaningful family Christmas experience.

Choirs will be entertaining crowds from 7.30pm on Opening Night with the light show commencing at 8.30pm with the theme being HOME.

The three-part narrative will remind spectators the familiarity and importance of home especially after a tumultuous two years.

This year, the End Street Sleeping Collaboration is the event’s charity partner – a collective impact initiative whose goal is to end rough sleeping.

Collaborators include the NSW Government, PAYCE Foundation, St Vincent De Paul Society, St Vincent’s Health, Catholic Care, Mission Australia, the Salvation Army, and many more NGOs and philanthropists.

The free family event is now a fixture in the Christmas calendar and there is still time to view the spectacular light show. It will run until Christmas day.

For more information on the event head to www.lightsofchristmas.com.au

Community project delivers 15,000 meals during Covid lockdown

Community-based project, the Melrose Park Meal Share, has wrapped-up after delivering a staggering 15,000 free meals to the vulnerable during the COVID-19 lock-down.

The PAYCE Foundation re-introduced the meal delivery service when Sydney went into lockdown earlier this year.

The meal service, including food preparation and delivery management, was run by the PAYCE Foundation’s social enterprise Kick Start, which provides hospitality training for young people.

The Kick Start’s commercial kitchen was used to prepare the meals.

When the service wrapped up last month, 262 recipients and 157 households had received the nutritious meals delivered seven days a week.

Last year, 15,000 meals were also delivered, bringing the total to 30,000 meals over two years.

The meals were delivered to Melrose Park residents and surrounding suburbs, along with a special delivery to the members of the Sydney Street Choir.

Brooks Community Engagement, who undertook community liaison on behalf of PAYCE, mobilised a team of community volunteers to help with deliveries.

Brooks Community Engagement Managing Director Lance Brooks said the feedback on the service was overwhelmingly positive.

“We had a wonderful response from the Melrose Park community which laid the foundation for a successful service again this year,’’ he said.

“Not only did we receive great feedback on the quality of the food and service, but it was also clear that it helped many people who were struggling with the debilitating social impact of the lockdown.

“Meal Share is an excellent example of how community coming together can make a big difference in people’s lives.’’

PAYCE Foundation Director Dominic Sullivan thanked everyone involved in the project.

“The Kick Start team did a wonderful job, pivoting from running food trailers on construction sites and training young people in hospitality, to operating a meal delivery service,” Mr Sullivan said.

“The community leaders and volunteers were a fantastic support to the service which assisted so many people during a difficult time.’’