Business Services
Funds raised from recycling and retail sale of donated goods support the provision of counselling and other related services at Lifeline South West Vic. The business operation employs a small staff of paid workers and many volunteers, who work in the recycling warehouse and in Lifeline’s retail shops.
WHAT HAPPENS TO DONATED GOODS
All donations from the South West Victorian region are collected and sorted in our centrally located warehouse. These include clothing, books, bric-a-brac, shoes, toys and small items of furniture. Almost all the goods are recyclable in some capacity, however a percentage of goods donated are not saleable, and have to become landfill. The cost of tipping is a constant concern and we are always looking for new ways to reduce this financial burden.
Most of the goods that are donated from southwest Victoria, and sorted in the warehouse by our capable staff and volunteers, are returned around the region through our six shops.
CUT COTTON WIPERS
A valuable source of income comes from cotton garments that are not suitable for sale in the shops. These are cut into rags and sold to local businesses, such as mechanics and industrial companies to be used as cleaning cloths. These T-shirt wipers are one of our big sellers, and we therefore appreciate lots of donations of old and no longer wearable cotton garments.
BOOKS
A valuable source of income is through book sales. Donations of clean, undamaged used books are very welcome. Each shop has a good supply of books.
WHERE TO PUT DONATIONS
Donations to Lifeline South West are always gratefully accepted, and may be placed in any of the large blue bins located around the region. Alternatively, our retail shops also accept donations, which are returned to the Warrnambool warehouse for sorting, before the A-grade quality clothing is re-distributed to the shops for sale.
THE ROLE OF LIFELINE SHOPS
The public face of Lifeline South West fundraising business is through our 6 retail shops located in Warrnambool, Portland, Port Fairy, Hamilton, Terang and Camperdown. These businesses provide a number of services in their communities:
- they are important sources of funds for Lifeline
- they offer people access to low cost, quality goods and clothing
- they provide work experience and retail training in each community
- they harness community involvement through volunteering
- they provide support networks in small towns
STAFFING OUR SHOPS
Each shop is staffed by rosters of dedicated volunteers and a Coordinator who oversees the day to day running of the store. Twice a year the shop Coordinators and some of their volunteers, have a training day with the managers to share ideas, receive support and develop direction in their roles and for each shop.
Training includes guest speakers and often gives the volunteers insight and relevance to Lifeline’s primary role in the community. These meetings are important for the sense of kinship they provide, and to show the volunteers that they are valued members of the Lifeline community.
THANK YOU
Thanks to all our volunteers in the warehouse and shops, for your great generosity and for demonstrating the importance of voluntary work to the social fabric of our society. Those often hard earned dollars contribute immensely to the wellbeing of our community, through providing Lifeline’s range of primary health services.