Posted by Co-President Jack Kraan:
Last Saturday, Gus, Andrew, Michelle, Ann and I attended the Donations In Kind warehouse 'Open Day' in West Footscray. DIK is housed in a very large warehouse, which we found to be filled to the brim with all sorts of donated and recycled goods.
The vast majority of goods are brand new. They can be discontinued lines, surplus supplies, cancelled orders, or stock that is out of date. For example, Australia’s strict rules mean that medical gowns have 2-year expiry date. If they are not used in this time, they must be discarded, even though they are perfectly usable. These can be sent to overseas hospitals for use.
The goods ranged from medical supplies, educational equipment and consumables. IT equipment, clothing, home support equipment, books and the list goes on. Their operations are supported by numerous Rotary Clubs, ours included.
Most of the goods are destined for overseas projects sponsored by Rotary Clubs in developing countries. Goods get shipped in 20 ft containers which are packed by DIK volunteers. They have their operation down to a fine art. We were told that they can pack a 20 ft container in 4 hours. The sponsoring Rotary clubs are responsible for paying the shipping costs, which are substantial at present.
When a club has a project, they provide DIK with a list of items they require. These are then either sourced from the stored supplies, or there is a wait until such goods are received at the warehouse. This week we were given 3 sewing machines via the RC of Inverloch, which we have passed onto DIK.
Goods are also available to use by Clubs for local projects. For example, CNCISS have advised that they have a need for various items of clothing and school supplies for disadvantaged families. Gus is collating a list of these which will be provided to DIK. They will then fulfill this list as the specified goods are received. In our time out at DIK, there were some other project ideas floated and these may be explored further in coming weeks.
Finally, a quick reminder, please support the bowling night this coming Wednesday. Please rope in any good bowlers you know, so we can wrangle the trophy back from RC of Monbulk and make Co-President Geoff very happy.
Jack Kraan