WANGARATTA Motor Group (WMG) is hosting a Community Drive Day in collaboration with Loaves and Fishes Christian Caring, Project 365 and Rotary Club of Appin Park this Saturday from 8:30am to 12pm.
The day will be an opportunity to donate to a food drive, meet the Project 365 team as they are presented with a donation and fundraise for the Rotary Club of Appin Park as they run a sausage sizzle, with meat donated by WMG and Wangaratta Woolworths.
For the third year in a row, WMG is running a food drive throughout spring in partnership with Loaves and Fishes Christian Caring to encourage the community to fill up a car with non-perishable food and toiletries.
Previous years were Stack The Staria, Top Up the Triton and now Pack the Patrol.
WMG’s general manager Jarred Clark said they started the initiative because he saw an opportunity to support the local community.
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“Our local community is very important to our group and this is our way of giving back,” he said.
“At a time of year when financial struggles are real, we hope that the food drive assists some of the local community and provides support to a very worthy cause.”
Loaves and Fishes Christian Caring community development coordinator, David Still, said there is definitely a noticeable increase in demand in the community for support in the lead up to Christmas and in a cost of living crisis.
"One of the really positive things about this initiative is it helps us fill out some of the short fall we might have in the lead up to Christmas," he said.
"We are noticing this year in particular that there is not as much spare capacity in the community, so this food drive has been a really helpful to fill some of those gaps.
"We are still seeing the need in the community daily, people have had to cut things out of their budget.
"One of the great things about this partnership with Wang Motors is that this initiative runs in the lead up to Christmas when the demand goes through the roof, when budgets are under additional pressure from expectations around Christmas.
"I would encourage anyone who has the capacity to come along on Saturday, we appreciate everything the community gives.
"One of our big life savers each year is the significant generosity from the community which enables us to do what we need to."
The event will also be an opportunity for Wangaratta Motor Group to present Project 365 with a new sign written Isuzu UTE MU-X to Project 365 for the year.
Sales manager for Wangaratta Isuzu UTE, Wally Armstrong, said following on from the team’s desire to be involved in the local community and help to promote charity and local organisations.
“Our team supports the efforts of Project 365 and the conversations they are creating around mental health," he said.
“The efforts that Peter Rourke and his team put in to promoting positive mental health and supporting each other through difficult times is inspiring.
“This is our way of helping Project 365 to visit workplaces, hold mental health talks and workshops and increase awareness of their mission."
