27/10/2024
To the people of Chinchilla and surrounding districts-
It is with sadness that we announce the closure of our Op Shop. Our committee made this decision after considering all options and possibilities, and we are grateful for the support and dedication of our community.
Our final closure date has yet to be finalised, but it will be around December 2024/January 2025. From today forward, we will no longer take donations, and we ask that you take all donations to Farm Angels, Adra, and St Vinnies.
Our commitment to the community has always been unwavering. We strived to keep the Op Shop running and not burden the businesses in our small community with the financial load needed to run our soup kitchen and other projects we take on. For the past five and a half years, we have achieved that through our Op Shop.
Seven months ago, we farewelled our fantastic Manager, Rohmarna, who had run our Op Shop for 18 months. Since then, we have advertised several times for a manager and invited many people to join us in managing the Op Shop, our primary fundraiser.
During this time, our President, Ruth, has managed the Op Shop, including training staff and running our Work for the Dole program. Due to her workload with Southern Cross Care (Illoura and Tarcoola) and the many projects she runs within our organisation, it has become necessary to lighten her load.
So, with a heavy heart, we also announce the closing of 4 other community projects that our President has coordinated and run. The DV Support & Relocation and the Emergency Accommodation Project will cease immediately. Our hamper and vouchers will continue until the allocated funds are used. We will not be doing the Christmas Hampers and Toys this year.
Furthermore, three other programs we run within our community will finish in December, and we are negotiating how to continue some of them next year.
Our Soup Kitchen of a Monday night will continue while we have the funds. Our Christmas Dinner will also continue this year.
Your donations are valued, and we are honoured that you have generously supported us. We will ensure that your donations are handled appropriately. Our Shed Supervisor, Garry, will continue to oversee this and help us complete this.
Finally, we wish to thank our volunteers; each of you brings a uniqueness to our organisation. We'd like to ask you to continue volunteering as we navigate this new stage in our organisation.
With all our thanks and appreciation,
The Kup of Kindness Committee
