Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service Inc.

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A big thank you to Community Bank Dandenong Rangesfor providing this raffle with $25,000 worth of gold to be won. 100% of the sales will go to our charity if click on the link below. Tickets are $5 each or less per ticket when bought in multiples. Money raised will be used by us to help people in our local community who are experiencing hardship. The raffle will be drawn on May 2nd 2024. If anyone is in a position to purchase tickets or share this QR code and link to others, it is much appreciated. Thank you very much. https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=kpedy&sref=z48bacbw

The online People First Community Lottery is now open. There are 52 prizes on offer worth more than $300,000 including 2 cars and a solar energy package. Additionally, there is another car available for early bird entries which close May 16th (11:59pm). Tickets are $2 and if you click on the link below, 100% of the proceeds will go to our charity. Entries close July 25th (11:59pm). Entries drawn August 1st (11am). Thank you to anyone who is in a position to buy tickets and also for anyone who can share this post. https://www.communitylottery.com.au/products/dandenong-ranges-emergency-relief?_pos=1&_sid=7d2013a28&_ss=r

Do you live in the Dandenong Ranges and lost power because of the storm on Tuesday 13th February 2024? If you are not eligible for a government grant or AUSNET payment, and you had a loss of food and/or extra fuel or ice expenses, please contact Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service to get free vouchers for food and/or fuel.

Please note: Our hours are 9.00am to 12.30pm Monday to Friday, and we can be contacted on 9754 7777 or enquire@drers.org.au

We will reply to messages ASAP.

As we are not always able to monitor Facebook or Instagram comments, please contact us directly.

Christmas Appeal 2023

Hi all. Our annual Christmas appeal has begun. For anyone in a position to donate, we are seeking new, unwrapped gifts for 0-17 year olds. Our Christmas giving tree can be found in the Belgrave library. Presents can be left under the Christmas tree. If dropping the present off at the library isn't an option, you can also drop the present off where our charity is based at the lower level of the Belgrave Community Hub (next door to the Belgrave Cameo). We are open Mon-Fri 9:00am-12:30pm. We will be giving away the presents starting from Monday December 18th. Presents don't need to be wrapped as we will be displaying them on tables for people to choose from.

From December 18th, we will also be giving out Christmas food and hampers. Food can be dropped off where we are based at the Belgrave Community Hub. The Christmas giving tree in the library is predominantly set up for collecting presents, but you can drop off food there if it's more suitable for you. The cost of living has affected many people, so we are thankful for any donations and/or sharing of our posts. If there's any queries, you can email enquire@drers.org.au or phone 9754-7777. Thank you very much.

A big thank you to Community Bank Dandenong Ranges for providing this raffle with $25,000 worth of gold to be won. 100% of the sales will go to our charity if you click on the link below. Tickets are $5 each or less per ticket when bought in multiples. Money raised will be used by us to help people in our local community who are experiencing hardship. Entries for the raffle close May 2024. If anyone is in a position to purchase tickets or share this unique link to others, it is much appreciated. Thank you very much. https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=kpedy&sref=z48bacbw

Are you having financial difficulties with the rising cost of living and interest rates? You do not have to be on a Centrelink, you just need to live in our funded area (see drers.org.au) to be able to receive financial assistance from us. If you cannot visit us during our opening hours due to work obligations, you can contact us by calling 9754-7777 or email us at enquire@drers.org.au Our service is free and confidential. We are located on the lower level of the Belgrave Community Hub, Mon-Fri 9am until 12:30pm.

Hi all. We are seeking long term volunteers for our charity. If you can help out with any of the roles listed below, we'd love to hear from you. For any queries, please email enquire@drers.org.au, call 9754-7777, or come in for a chat between 9am and 12:30pm Mon-Fri on the lower level of the Belgrave Community Hub. Thank you very much.

Emergency Relief: work with clients on how we can assist with food, vouchers, bills and any other services needed.

Mi Place drop in centre: prepare basic meals, facilitate socialisation, board games, billiards and table tennis.

Op Shop (located on main street of Belgrave): serving customers and/or sorting through donations.

Hi all. Thank you very much to everyone who donated gifts and shared info about our annual Christmas Appeal. Thank you once again to Belgrave Library for letting us put up our Giving Tree in the library for people to leave presents under. Thank you to everyone who did their own collection or donated individually.

And thank you very much to everyone who supported us throughout the year. Whether it was through donations, sharing info, or anything else, we really appreciate it. It's been a challenging year for many and it was great to see the community come together. We wish everyone a festive Christmas period. Thank you all.

Listing of other groups

Hi all. The Royal & Ranges Christmas Windows Raffle is back on for 2022. There's lots of great prizes on offer and all proceeds go to our charity. A big thank you to the businesses who are supporting the raffle. We really appreciate it. And thank you to Lisa for helping co-ordinate the raffle. The draw takes place Friday December 16th at 1pm.

Tickets are $2 and can be bought from the following locations:

Royal FTG Hotel, Hahndorf's Fine Chocolates Upper Ferntree Gully, Augustus Gelatery (Upper Ferntree Gully), FoodWorks (Ferntree Gully), The Basin Pantry, The Basin Free Range and Grass Fed Meats butcher, Silhouette Grooming & Pet Supplies Upwey, Upwey Pizza, Upwey Cricket Club, The Blacksmith (Belgrave) , Belgrave Book Barn, Belgrave Bakery Italian Pasticceria, Micawber Tavern

Thank you everyone for the support!

Thank you very much to everyone who has donated presents and food for our annual Christmas Appeal so far. And thank you to everyone who has shared the info.

We have another week before we start handing out the presents and food. All presents for age groups up to 17 are welcomed. At this stage, we don't have as many presents for teenagers, so if anyone is in a position to help with that it would be great. Ideas include vouchers, sporting equipment, electric gadgets. Toys and food can be left at our reception on the lower level of the Belgrave Community Hub Mon-Fri between 9am and 12:30pm. We also have a giving Christmas tree at the Belgrave Library where presents can be left under (the tree is predominantly for toys, but if people can't make it to our reception at the Belgrave Community Hub, food can be left under the tree.

*due to unforeseen circumstances our reception and emergency relief service will be closed Thursday 8th December. We'll be back open the following day.

Thank you very much for the support.

Christmas Appeal 2022

From December 13th, we will also be giving out Christmas food and hampers. Food can be dropped off where we are based at the Belgrave Community Hub. The Christmas giving tree in the library is predominantly set up for collecting presents, but you can drop off food there if it's more suitable for you. The following non-perishable items it would be much appreciated:
Long life milk, non-dairy long life milk, long life custard, jelly crystals, Christmas cakes, Christmas pudding, mince pies, gravy powder, tinned vegetables, coffee, sugar, sweet biscuits, savory biscuits, shortbread, crackers, sweets & lollies, potato chips, chocolate, nuts, canned fruit, tea, pet food.

It's been a challenging year for many, so we are thankful for any donations people can help with. If there's any queries, you can email enquire@drers.org.au or phone 9754-7777. Thank you very much.

Need to refresh your wardrobe?

Stop by Belgrave Library's clothing swap to find exciting new shirts, skirts, and more!

Fri 21 October - 10am to 5pm

Sat 22 October - 10am to 1pm

You can donate items of clothing to the Belgrave library prior to the event in exchange for tokens, or bring them on the day. Items can be purchased on the day for 1 token each, or $1 each.

Please ensure donated items are freshly laundered, they are not damaged, and they are still in good condition.

General rule of thumb: If you wouldn't take it home, it's unlikely anyone else would. We only accept adult clothing.

*No undergarments, swimwear, or sleepwear.

https://www.facebook.com/EasternRegional/posts/5747059575338448

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjg-YTQObWf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Hi all. Holy hair! One of our volunteers is hoping to raise money for our charity by cutting 30cm off her hair at the end of June! She will then donate the hair to Real Fringe Hair Bands, who are a charity providing hair for oncology and alopecia patients.

If anyone is in a position to support our fundraiser, please click on our charity's GIVENOW webpage link below. Alternatively, cash or eftpos at our reception at the Belgrave Community Hub (Mon-Fri 9am-12:30pm) is welcome. You can also direct deposit – BSB 633-000 Account # 140850967 – please email us your contact details for us to provide you a receipt. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

After the haircut we will post photos. Thank you very much for the support.

https://www.givenow.com.au/dandenongrangesemergencyrelief

Hi all. February 24th is the closing date for purchasing tickets for the People's Choice Community Lottery. Our charity receives 100% of ticket sales when you buy through the following link. Tickets are $2. There are 41 prizes including 2 cars and a grand home package worth over $300,000 in total. Thanks very much for your support!
https://communitylottery.peopleschoice.com.au/products/dandenong-ranges-emergency-relief?_pos=1&_sid=3c1bd5729&_ss=r&fbclid=IwAR3l6gffBvTRWUjSqpI47FdPZekrOoxLZJHczLADcPSY2O3AXAEtRV1Qt64

Hi all. The last daywe are open this year is Thursday December the 23rd. We will be open again on Monday January the 10th. For the 2 weeks we are closed, the following link has listings of other groups who might be open. Please contact these groups before arriving as due to shortage of staff here we have been unable confirm exact times and dates they will be open.

Police, fire brigade or ambulance call 000.
Beyond Blue call 1300 224 636
Lifeline call 13 11 14

For contacts of other groups, please click on the following link:

Contacts of other groups

Congratulations to the following winners of the Royal & Ranges Christmas Raffle. Thank you very much for all the businesses who supported the raffle and to Lisa for organising it. If you have the following numbers, you have won 1 of the 23 prizes. Lisa will be contacting you to arrange a delivery of your prize. Thanks for your support.

(1) ticket number 270, (2) ticket number 590, (3) ticket number 340, (4) ticket number 586 (5) ticket number 582 (6) ticket number 594 (7) ticket number 277 , (8) ticket number 603, (9) ticket number 183, (10) ticket number 193, (11) ticket number 441, (12) ticket number 442, (13) ticket number 038, (14) ticket number 446 , (15) ticket number 033, (16) ticket number 275, (17) ticket number 011, (18) ticket number 394 (19) ticket number 323, (20) ticket number 229, (21) ticket number 178, (22) ticket number 050, (23) ticket number 175

Hi all. Christmas Carols at the Belgrave Heights Convention Centre are back on again this year. December 19th at 7pm. It's free entry. A gold coin donation is asked. Any proceeds after the costs of running the event will be donated to our charity. If anyone is in a position to help with running costs for the event, the following gofundme page is set up http://gofund.me/4cf8ac8a This year bookings are made prior to the event on the following link: https://www.trybooking.com/BWAEV In following with Covid-19 regulations, there won't be some of the usual activities. There will still be a Cafe for food and drinks. For more info, please see the following flyer: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=4560053054116111&id=429683940486397 Thank you very much.

A big thank you to Jacqui Rutten from Sacred Stage and all the artists who will be holding a fundraiser concert for our charity on Sunday December 5th at 2pm. The event will take place at the Dandenong Ranges Music Council in Upwey. Interested attendees can book at www.trybooking.com/BQMEN or email info@sacredstage.com.au and make a donation at door. Thank you. Thank you also to Star Mail News for promoting the concert in the local newspaper. The article can be read on this following link: https://ferntreegully.mailcommunity.com.au/entertainment/2021-11-23/charity-through-nature-and-song/

Hi all. The Royal & Ranges Christmas Windows Raffle is back on. There's lots of great prizes on offer and all proceeds go to our charity. Tickets are $2 and can be bought from the following locations: Hahndorf's Fine Chocolates, The Royal Hotel UFTG, Station St Food Co FTG, The Basin Pantry, Silhouette Grooming & Pet Supplies Upwey, Manna Gum Garden Supplies, and Upwey Pizza. A big thank you to Lisa for organising it and all the businesses who are donating prizes. Much appreciated. Tickets will he drawn on December 17th at our reception. Thank you for your support.

For a listing of the prizes on offer, please click the following link: https://www.facebook.com/Dandenong-Ranges-Emergency-Relief-Service-Inc-429683940486397/photos/pcb.4518295264958557/4518295204958563/

Hi all. Our annual Christmas appeal has begun. For anyone in a position to donate, we are seeking new, unwrapped gifts for 0-17 year olds. We are also seeking non-perishable food. Our Christmas giving tree can be found in the Belgrave library. Presents can be left under the Christmas tree. If dropping the present off at the library isn't an option, you can also drop the present off where our charity is based at the lower level of the Belgrave Community Hub (next door to the Belgrave Cameo). We are open Mon-Fri 9:00am-12:30pm. We will be giving away the presents starting from December 16th. Presents don't need to be wrapped as we will be displaying them on tables for people to choose from.

From December 16th, we will also be giving out Christmas food and hampers. Food can be dropped off where we are based at the Belgrave Community Hub. The Christmas giving tree in the library is predominantly set up for collecting presents, but you can drop off food there if it's more suitable for you. A list of suggested food items to donate can be found below. It's been a challenging year for many, so we are thankful for any donations people can help with. If there's any queries, you can email enquire@drers.org.au or phone 9754-7777. Thank you very much.

Suggested non-perishable food to donate to our annual Christmas Appeal:

Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, long life custard, long life milk, non-dairy long life milk, sweet biscuits, savoury biscuits shortbread, jelly crystals, crackers, sweets & lollies, potato chips, mince pies, chocolate, gravy powder, nuts, tinned vegetables tinned fruit, coffee , tea, sugar, pet food

Thank you to everyone who has offered to volunteer with us during the lockdowns and the recent storm. We appreciate the offers of volunteering, but we are only able to take on long-term volunteers due to the time it takes to do police checks, working with children checks, and to train volunteers to be fully prepared to assist our community. We do not have any short-term positions, even during emergencies. We really are grateful for the offers though. If you are interested in volunteering long term, please phone 9754-7777 or email: enquire@drers.org.au

Hi all. Just a reminder our organisation comes under 'Health & Community Services' and therefore our emergency relief service will still be open
Mon - Fri 9am until 12:30pm during lockdowns. You are able to travel more than 5km from where you live to get assistance from us. For a full list of suburbs we cover, please see the front page of our website. Our Mi Place drop in centre is closed for sit down meals but we can offer take away meals. The public showers here at the lower level of the Belgrave Community Hub will be open Mon-Fri 9am until 12:30pm.

Hi all. Our organisation comes under 'Health & Community Services.' Therefore our emergency relief service will still be open
Mon - Fri 9am until 12:30pm during lockdowns. You are able to travel more than 5km from where you live to get assistance from us. For a full list of suburbs we cover, please see the front page of our website. The public showers here in the Belgrave Community Hub will remain open, and we also offer take away meals. And for those affected by the recent storms we are here to provide assistance. www.drers.org.au

Hi all. We've just been informed that today is the final day the council will be keeping the Belgrave Community Hub open until 8pm for anyone who was affected by the storms and needs to use the Hub for showers, collecting supplies, or speaking to the council staff who are stationed here. For any queries please call the council storm relief phone number on 1300 368 333.

Our Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service charity will continue to operate here at the Hub from 9-12:30pm Mon-Fri if anyone needs assistance whether you have been impacted by the storm or something else. For any queries please call 9754-7777 or email enquire@drers.org.au Thank you.

Hi all. The Services Australia bus is in Belgrave today (Reynolds Lane, outside St Thomas More's Catholic Church) until 4pm. They can offer assistance for people who've been severely affected by the recent storms. There are 4 staff who can help with Disaster Relief payments. Tomorrow they plan to be be in Monbulk near the RSL from 9:30am until 4pm, and on Wednesday at the Olinda recreation reserve from 9:30am until 4pm. For any further information please call the Australian government information line on 180 22 66.

Community Storm Recovery

Hi all. It's great to hear that more houses have had their power restored. There are still houses without power though, and we will continue to offer support.

Looking ahead, we are trying to make sure we have help lined up for all the people who are displaced due to being unable to return to their property for weeks or even months because of damage from the storms.

To date, we've been helping people with some free short term hotel accommodation thanks largely to the kind monetary donations of the public. Moving forward, we will be looking to assist people with longer term accommodation eg: for people awaiting insurance decisions.

We will also be trying to assist people with repair jobs for water tank damage, driveway repairs, minor home repairs, assistance with insurance excesses etc….

Many people are struggling financially (including those who already live pay cheque to pay cheque) because of additional costs of living without electricity for a prolonged period of time eg: spending money on fuel to travel to do laundry, shower, purchasing fuel and running generators, replacing household items, buying food daily, and replacing lost food from fridge and freezers etc..

If anyone is in a position to help with monetary donations for us to assist those in need moving forward, we greatly appreciate any donation you can offer. There are a few different options to donate money.

- You can donate online through our GiveNow website:

https://www.givenow.com.au/dandenongrangesemergencyrelief

Our organisation is an incorporated association (ABN 80 454 546 928) which has a Deductable Gift Recipient status from the ATO. Wow! What that means for you is that any donation you make to DRERS over $2.00 is deductible on your tax return.

-Direct deposit – BSB 633-000 Account # 140850967 – please email us your contact details for us to provide you a receipt.

- Snail mail a cheque made out to DRERS to PO Box 744, Belgrave Vic 3160. Please make sure you leave your contact details with your cheque for us to provide you a receipt.

Thank you very much.

Hi all. The Belgrave Community Hub (1616-1624 Burwood Highway, Belgrave) will be open over the weekend for dropping off and collecting of donated items. The Hub will be open 8am until 8pm.

If you require any financial assistance from our organisation such as free hotel accommodation, fuel vouchers, and other enquiries please come to the Hub Mon-Fri 9-12:30pm. If it's outside of those hours, please email enquire@drers.org.au or call 9754-7777 and we will get back to you to discuss how we can assist.

Thank you very much.

Update on donations needed:

Thanks to everyone who has donated. For those asking what the latest feedback is, we are told there's a need for large candles, shampoo, toothpaste, packets of soup, sweet and/or savoury snacks, pet food (dry/wet cat & dog food) and small long life milk.

At the moment the Belgrave Community Hub (1616-1624 Burwood Highway, Belgrave) is open for drop off and collection of donations from 8am until 8pm every day of the week. For any enquires, please email us at enquire@drers.org.au or call 9754-7777. Thank you very much.

Hi all. For those who've said they would like to donate items, we are receiving feedback that the most in need items are thermal clothing such as socks, hot water bottles, lamps, hand warmers, toe warmers, fire lighters, matches, charged power banks, gloves/mittens, and small long life milk.

We are still hearing reports that many homes could be without power until July 10th. The temperature gets below zero in places here in the hills, so keeping warm is a challenge for many.

Donations can be dropped off at the Belgrave Community Hub - 1616-1624 Burwood Highway, Belgrave - (next door to the Belgrave Cameo). The Hub is open for dropping off and collection of donations from 8am until 8pm each day of the week. For any enquiries, you can email us at enquire@drers.org.au or call 9754-7777. Thank you very much.

We now have 7 Eleven vouchers. Each is worth $50. If you are in the Dandenong Ranges and have been affected by the storm damage, we can help with financial assistance. We can help with free hotel accommodation, fuel vouchers, purchasing fire wood, 7 Eleven vouchers or other enquiries. Please email us at enquire@drers.org.au, call 9754-7777 or come to the Belgrave Community Hub. If coming to the hub for finacial assistance from us, please arrive from 9-12:30pm Mon-Fri.
*Collection of donated items from the Belgrave Community Hubis available 8am until 8pm every day of the week.

Update on donations needed:

Hi all. We've been out to surrounding areas giving out the donations we've received. We received feedback from residents today that there are a few items in particular that are needed more of. The items are hand warmers, long matches, fire lighters, charged power banks, thermal socks, big torches with batteries, head lamps, hurricane lamps, and small long life milk. As mentioned in an earlier post today, we have put a pause on other donation items to the Belgrave Community Hub for the immediate coming days as we've got a good amount of supplies at the moment. We will continue to update if we hear of particular items needed. If anyone is able to donate those items listed above though it would be great. For the time being, the Belgrave Community Hub (1616-1624 Burwood Highway, Belgrave) is open 8am until 8pm. Thank you very much.

If you have been impacted by the storm, please email us today at enquire@drers.org.au or call 9754-7777. We will be out on the road at times doing outreach, but Mon-Fri you can also if able come to the Belgrave Community Hub (1616-1624 Burwood , Belgrave) and speak to one of our Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service volunteers. Please confirm that the volunteer is indeed with Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service. Please arrive here between 9am and 1pm. We can arrange free accommodation for you in some lovely hotels around the eastern and inner suburbs of Melbourne . A big thanks to Hannah and Sigrid for arranging the donations that we will use to provide the hotel rooms for free for those affected by the storms. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

Hi everyone. Thank you very much for the incredible support so far for people affected by the storms here in the hills. Recipients wanted to pass on their thanks. For the coming days we think here at the Belgrave Community Hub we have enough for the time being. If we are needing more donations in the upcoming days we will post updates. If anyone has already purchased items to bring in here, we are happy to accept them and we will get all the donations to people in need. Some houses in the hills are starting to get their electricty back. However, many still don't have electricty and we are hearing it could be as late as July 10th before others get theirs back. For questions regarding donations to other drop off points in the hills, please contact Yarra Ranges council. Their phone number for storm relief information is 1300 368 333. And their website is: https://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Home

Thank you to everyone who has been helping with donations of food, toiletries and money for us to assist people affected by the recent storms. We have been getting reports that the power may be out for many homes for another 3 weeks. If anyone can help with donations it's much appreciated. We are also seeking generators to lend out to people. If you can help, please contact us at enquire@drers.org.au or call 9754-7777. During this aftermath period, the local council is keeping the Belgrave Community Hub open from 8am until 8pm so people can have showers or charge their phones. Donations can be left during those times. Thank you very much.

Hi all. Our charity comes under 'Health & Community Services.' Therefore our emergency relief service will still be open despite the imminent lockdown in Melbourne. For the time being, the public showers here in the Belgrave Community Hub will remain open. If circumstances change, we will post an update. During the lockdown our 'Mi Place' drop in centre will only be offering take away food. Once lock down ends we hope to be able to allow sit down meals again. Our Op shop on the main street of Belgrave will be closed during the lockdown.

Hi all. We will be open this week 9-12:30pm.

Our charity comes under 'Health & Community Services'. So if you need to use our services and live in the areas we cover, you are still able to travel here to the Belgrave Community Hub building even if you live more than 5km away.

Our 'Mi Place' drop in centre located here in the Belgrave Community Hub is still closed for the time being.

Public showers are still available here Mon, Wed, Friday from 9-12pm

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call us on 9754-7777 or email enquire@drers.org.au For a list of areas we cover, please see the front page ofour website: https://www.drers.org.au/

Our beloved friend Carol passed away yesterday. Carol volunteered tirelessly with us for over a decade and helped many people in our community. She was a great listener, full of empathy, and had a great sense of humour. Carol not only volunteered with us for many years, but also volunteered with several other organisations. DRERS was the last organisation she volunteered at and we are all grateful that we had the opportunity to spend time with such a lovely human being. We will miss having her around. Our condolences to David and family.

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Hi all. We are seeking volunteers to help out in our 'Mi Place' drop in centre located here in the Belgrave Community Hub. Roles include basic meal preparation, as well as welcoming & chatting with patrons. Our drop in centre is open Mon-Fri 9:30-2:00pm We are looking for volunteers to help on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays. Positions will commence February 2021. If you are able to help, we'd love to hear from you after our charity re-opens on January 14th 2021. You can email us at enquire@drers.org.au or contact us on 9754-7777.

Hi everyone. In addition to new unwrapped gifts for 0-17 year olds, we are also seeking donations of food for clients. If anyone can help donate any of the following non-perishable items it would be much appreciated:

Long life milk, non-dairy long life milk, long life custard, jelly crystals, Christmas cakes, Christmas pudding, mince pies, gravy powder, tinned vegetables, coffee, sugar, sweet biscuits, savory biscuits, shortbread, crackers, sweets & lollies, potato chips, chocolate, nuts, canned fruit, tea, pet food.

Food can be left at our reception Mon-Fri 9-12:30pm on the lower level of the Belgrave Community Hub (next to the cinema). Thank you very much.

Hi all. Our annual Christmas appeal has begun. Our Christmas giving tree can be found in the Belgrave library. We are collecting new, unwrapped presents for 0-17 years olds. For anyone who is in a position to buy a gift for a child, you can leave the present under the Christmas tree or place it in the Christmas donation box in the library foyer. There are tags on the tree with a child's age on it that people can take and go out shopping for (but it's not necessary if you aren't in the library to grab one). We will be giving away the presents on the week starting Monday December 14th, so we ask kindly that presents be donated before then. Presents can also be dropped off to where we are based which is the lower level of the Belgrave Community Hub (next door to the Belgrave cinema). We are open Mon-Fri 9-12:30pm. Whilst the Christmas giving tree is predominantly set up for collecting gifts, we will also be seeking donations of food during the appeal and we'll be posting updates about food in the coming days. It's been a challenging year for so many, so we are thankful for any donations people can help with. If there's any queries, you can email enquire@drers.org.au or phone 9754-7777. Thank you very much.

Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service Inc. (DRERS) is still open. The way that we provide assistance has changed to prevent transmission of COVID-19. We are still open and here to help, but only clients who need to use the showers will be able to enter premises.

If you are eligible for assistance, we will be able to provide you with financial assistance, food vouchers, food, and other assistance from our premises, even though you will not be able to enter the building. If you do not have access to a phone or email to contact us for assistance, please wait at least 1.5 metres away from the entrance of our building (lower level door) and one of our team will speak with you.

DRERS is open between 9:00 am and 12:30 pm, Monday to Friday. If you need our assistance then please contact us by 12:00 pm by the one following ways:

03 9754 7777
0468 468 430
email enquire@drers.org.au
please wait 1.5 metres away from our entrance

Our drop in centre (MiPlace) is closed until further notice.

Showers are available to use Monday , Wednesday, Friday 9-12:30pm. Please bring your own towel. We will be able to provide soap and some other toiletries. Please bring ID to allow us to do contact tracing if that was required in the following days after use.

Today, is the last day this year that our Emergency relief service and Mi Place drop in centre are open to the public. We will resume our Emergency relief service on Tuesday January 14th 2020. Our drop in centre will resume on Monday February 3rd 2020. We wish everyone all the best and stay safe.

Here are some contact details of other charities that may be able to help whilst we are closed over the Christmas break.

If you need help with mental health crisis support, try: SANE - ph: 1800 187 263, Beyond Blue - ph: 1300 224 636, Lifeline - ph: 13 11 14

If you help with emergency relief then try Hope on Friday in Tecoma - ph: 9754 6809, or Monbulk Care Network - ph: 9756 7800

For a more comprehensive list of available charities who help with Emergency relief and/or food assistance, please see the following link:

More detailed list

A huge thank you to everyone who supported us this year. We rely on the generosity of the public to help us provide the service we can for people in our community who are facing hardship. Whether it was food, pet food, gifts for our Christmas appeal, items to sell at our op shop, monetary donations, or anything else that helped us, we say a huge thank you. Our Christmas project was a success again this year, thanks to all who donated. There are too many businesses, organizations and individuals to thank, so we offer you all our biggest THANK YOU. To all of the people who received gifts and/or hampers, thank you for thanking our wonderful volunteers.
Our volunteers work hard all year, and the kind words and thanks they got was really appreciated. We really appreciate the hard work, and many hours they do, to help our community.
We offer our supporters, donors, clients and volunteers our gratitude and hope each and every one of you has a merry Christmas, and a happy new year.
Yours sincerely, Team DRERS.

PS: Because we are now on our annual break, it is unlikely that we will post anything for the next few weeks.

Belgrave South Baptist Church are once again presenting 'Carols at Convention' on Saturday 14th December at the Belgrave Heights Convention Centre.

We will be fundraising at the ‘Carols at Convention’. This year we have moved into the 21st century and will have an eftpos facility available for donations. We will, of course, still be accepting cash donations. All donations over $2.00 are tax deductible.

5:00-6:30pm includes kids activities and food

6:30-8:30pm is the time the Christmas Carols are on

We hope that you can come along!

November 14th 2019

Christmas appeal

Hi all. We’ve begun our annual Christmas appeal! We’ve put up a Christmas giving tree in Belgrave library. We are looking for donations of new presents for 0-17 year olds. Presents can be placed under the tree or given to library staff. Please donate before December the 18th as that is the day we will be giving them out to clients. Presents don’t need to be wrapped as we need to display them on tables. Presents can also be left at our reception here at the Belgrave community hub Mon-Fri 9-12:30pm. Thank you very much!

UPDATES:

Annual General Meeting

CLOSED September 27th and 30th

PASSING OF JEANETTE

DANDENONG RANGES COMMUNITY RAFFLE

PEOPLE FIRST COMMUNITYLOTTERY NOW OPEN

FOOD TRUCK MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS

UPDATE REGARDING POWER OUTAGE ASSISTANCE

POWER OUTAGE ASSISTANCE

THANK YOU EVERYONE

CLOSING AND RE-OPENING DATES

CHRISTMAS APPEAL 2023

COMMUNITY RAFFLE FOR OUR CHARITY

CLOSED NOVEMBER 6th & 7th

UPDATED LIST OF SUBURBS WE COVER

2023 Annual General Meeting

DROP IN CENTRE NOW OPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY

DROP IN CENTRE NOW ALSO OPEN ON THURSDAYS

CLOSED MONDAY & TUESDAY

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

EASTER FOOD DRIVE

CLOSED MONDAY FOR PUBLIC HOLIDAY

SEEKING LONG TERM VOLUNTEERS

OUR OP SHOP HAS AN EBAY PAGE!

ONLINE RAFFLE SUPPORTING OUR CHARITY

BACK TO SCHOOL FOOD

THANK YOU EVERYONE

DATES of closure and re-opening

CHRISTMAS RAFFLE

CLOSED THURSDAY DECEMBER 8TH

UPDATE ON CHRISTMAS APPEAL

CHRISTMAS APPEAL 2022

WE ARE CLOSED MONDAY OCTOBER 31st and TUESDAY NOVEMBER 1st

HALLOWEEN EVENT

WE ARE CLOSED MONDAY OCTOBER 17th

BELGRAVE LIBRARY ADULT CLOTHES SWAP FUNDRAISER FOR OUR OP SHOP

25th ANNIVERSARY

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

SEEKING WEEKEND BBQ VOLUNTEERS

HAIR DONATION FUNDRAISER COMPLETED

HAIR DONATION FUNDRAISER

DONATIONS WE WOULD APPRECIATE

DONATIONS WANTED FOR OP SHOP

SEEKING OP SHOP VOLUNTEERS

OP SHOP OPEN TUESDAY MARCH 15TH

CLOSED LABOUR DAY

OUR OP SHOP INSTAGRAM PAGE

ONLINE RAFFLE CLOSING FEBRUARY 24th

MI PLACE DROP IN CENTRE RE-OPENING

SEEKING OP SHOP VOLUNTEERS

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS AVAILABLE

MI PLACE DROP IN CENTRE RE-OPENING SOON

WE ARE OPEN IN 2022

THURSDAY 23rd OUR LAST DAY OPEN THIS YEAR. PLUS CONTACTS OF OTHER GROUPS

WINNING ENTRIES FOR THE ROYAL & RANGES CHRISTMAS RAFFLE

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

FUNDRAISER CONCERT DECEMBER 5th

CHRISTMAS WINDOWS RAFFLE

ONLINE RAFFLE TO SUPPORT OUR CHARITY

OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS APPEAL HAS BEGUN

PLANNED OP SHOP OPENING HOURS

OUR OP SHOP IS RE-OPENING

CLOSED THURSDAY

CLOSED TUESDAY

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

SEEKING LONG TERM VOLUNTEERS

CLOSED FOR GRAND FINAL EVE PUBLIC HOLIDAY

R U OK? Day

WE ARE OPEN DURING LOCKDOWN

SEEKING OP SHOP VOLUNTEER

SINGLE DOONAS and EURO PILLOWS

NEXT WEEK IS NATIONAL HOMELESSNESS WEEK

PUBLIC SHOWERS AVAILABLE DURING LOCKDOWN

WE ARE OPEN DURING LOCKDOWN

WE HAVE A TABLE TENNIS TABLE AT OUR DROP IN CENTRE!

CLOSED THURSDAY JULY 8th

FINAL DAY COUNCIL IS KEEPING HUB OPEN UNTIL 8PM

STORM AND DONATION UPDATE

SERVICES AUSTRALIA

COMMUNITY STORM RECOVERY