Latest news with #RedShieldAppeal
Otago Daily Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Community backs appeal to tune of $10K
Salvation Army Captains Paul and Jocelyn Smith with Cameron McIntosh, 19, of Oamaru, who spent eight hours collecting for the Red Shield Appeal. PHOTO: JULES CHIN The Salvation Army Red Shield appeal in the Waitaki District made over $10,000 this year thanks to volunteers and generous public support. The funds raised will go directly into the community through welfare support, food banks and social services. Salvation Army Captain Jocelyn Smith was "really, really happy" with the results. "We had Scouts and the Lions clubs, the three high schools and volunteers from all over the place. "We cracked just over $10,000. It's great. We needed that." Last year, the Salvation Army produced over 700 food parcels for people in need. The high cost of living had since increased demand. Capt Smith said the appeal was also a great way for Salvation Army volunteers to be face-to-face with the public. "People say beautiful things, such as I want to give to the Sallies, my son's in rehab at the moment and you guys are helping him to get sober. Or you guys helped me when we had no food and got us through a really tough time and we really appreciate it." Those stories were "golden". Capt Smith said the amount of money, resources and personnel required to keep up the community support was "big", with only one staff member working 20 hours a week and three part-time volunteers helping with the food bank.
7NEWS
22-05-2025
- General
- 7NEWS
Adelaide mother-of-four admits to stealing food amid cost-of-living crisis
A mother-of-four has made the shocking admission she regularly shoplifts to feed her children amid the cost-of-living crisis. Nakiah* said she feels guilty but blames rising food prices for leaving her with little choice to ensure her children do not go hungry. 'No parent wants to hear your kid say 'I'm still hungry' after dinner,' Nakiah told 7NEWS. 'I feel guilt but at the same time I don't because it's for my children — I'll do anything for my children.' The single mother, from Adelaide's northern suburbs, is not alone, with Salvation Army data released ahead of the charity's annual Red Shield Appeal showing the cost-of living crisis is having widespread impact. The Red Shield Report 2025 — which surveyed 3586 vulnerable Australians who had received food, financial aid or material aid from The Salvation Army — found almost a quarter (24 per cent) had eaten food past its expiry date to save money. It also found one in 20 Australians have taken and eaten food from bins outside supermarkets and restaurants, while a majority of people are skipping meals. Nakiah said the rising costs of housing and essential services and other basic living expenses meant there was often not enough money left to adequately feed her family. She admits to shoplifting at least once a fortnight so her children don't go to bed hungry, saying it is her last resort — and it frightens her. 'You walk through (the shops) just watching and knowing I'm about to do something like that — it's so scary,' she told 7NEWS. 'So many people are just brought to guilt and shame to do the wrong thing when they don't want to. 'We can't do this any more, we can't keep living like this.' Salvation Army spokesperson Robyn Lorimer said many people across Australia were cutting corners to make ends meet. 'We're finding people would prefer to sit in the dark than put their lights on,' she said. 'For some, they're even having to go to a public toilet or shopping centre just to shower because they can't justify the water costs.' The Salvation Army is aiming to raise $2 million in its annual Red Shield appeal this weekend, to support those people doing it tough — and to intervene before more of them resort to crime.
Mercury
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Mercury
Exit poll shows Peter Dutton in danger of nuclear fallout in own seat of Dickson
Don't miss out on the headlines from Federal Election. Followed categories will be added to My News. Peter Dutton is facing a battle of two fronts with the Opposition Leader in a fight for his own seat of Dickson based on a poll of real voters across the electorate north of Brisbane. The exclusive exit poll of 200 early voters, conducted by The Courier-Mail on Thursday, came as Mr Dutton jetted in to Queensland in the dying days of the campaign to sandbag his seat - Queensland's most marginal. It was the third visit to Dickson for Mr Dutton in the past five weeks, a move Labor, who audaciously started the campaign on the Opposition Leader's home turf, said proved he was worried. But Mr Dutton waved away concerns he was at risk of losing the seat, saying it had always been marginal. Mr Dutton has repeatedly noted the so-called 'one term curse' that has loomed large over his predecessors—of all political stripes—in the seat. In contrast he has held on to Dickson since 2001, though he goes into the May 3 poll with a wafer-thin margin of just 1.7 per cent. And exit polling shows Mr Dutton could be ousted on Saturday if the swing holds, with Labor's Ali France sitting on a primary vote of 37.1 per cent—up 5.4 per cent since 2022. Mr Dutton's primary vote of 35.1 per cent is 7 per cent down on his result in 2022. The Climate 200-backed independent Ellie Smith is sitting on a primary vote of 10.9 per cent—ahead of the Greens-- with her preferences expected to decide who ultimately wins the seat. A Labor strategist said Mr Dutton had turned on his local campaign effort, which 'shows he's worried'. Mr Dutton is also the second biggest spending LNP candidate across the state according to Labor's digital advertising tracking—behind only Leichhardt's Jeremy Neal. While Labor feels good about its chances the source conceded they were worried the Teal candidate Ms Smith could 'get in our way'—particularly as she's opted to run an open how to vote card rather than suggest where people should put their preferences. The LNP have throughout the campaign maintained its internal polling shows Mr Dutton retaining Dickson, and that the race isn't as close as published polls claim. Mr Dutton campaigned in his own seat on the first day of the campaign, returned in the middle, and in the final 72 hours of the race spent the morning at Bray Park for the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. This despite campaign tradition dictating he will be back in Dickson on Saturday to lodge his vote. He insisted the return to the electorate was to honour an annual commitment to attend the Red Shield Appeal. 'I do that every year and clear my diary,' he said. Ann Hogan, 84 from Albany Creek, voted for Mr Dutton in Dickson as she felt the LNP were offereing a 'better alternative to fuel' and while she wasn't fond of nuclear power, believed it was inevitable. 'I don't like the dirty campaign Labor has run… I feel Mr Albanese has done nothing for the country…all he has done is spent money,' she said. A number of voters who picked Ms France said they had seen her around the electorate a lot and noted her efforts during tropical cyclone Alfred to help those who had lost power. Everton Hills resident Mathew Bishop, 58, said he had voted for Teal independent Ellie Smith because he was sick of the major parties and the 'slow train wreck' caused by the dominance of the Coalition and Labor. Originally published as Exit poll shows Peter Dutton in danger of nuclear fallout in own seat of Dickson
