Sanitarium people give hope to local communities by giving generously of their time and talents. Last year, staff were donated more than 1580 hours of their time to a range of community care programs around Australia. Here are some of the ways in which our staff connect with and care for our surrounding communities:

 

• Over 120 staff from Sanitarium's Cooranbong and Berkeley Vale sites donated blood in 2009 – this contribution will go towards saving over 350 lives.
• Staff at our Sanitarium Development and Innovation knitted clothes and blankets for children in Mongolia, collected blankets for the Winter Blanket appeal and collected eight boxes of used reading glasses and sunglasses for the Christian Blind Mission International.
• Serving meals to the aged and venerable in our communities by volunteering time through Meals on Wheels.
• Assisting at the Southlakes Women's Refuge by providing food, assisting with building and maintenance, and volunteering their time to care.

 

Our Carmel team (WA) helped support a local boy who went to Nepal in December to work on a community project renovating a school building, by providing him with work equipment and a sleeping bag. The team has also contributed to some 'home maintenance' to help support a local struggling family. We are also working with Co-operative Bulk Handling Ltd (CBH) on a joint venture where CBH provides the wheat and Sanitarium provides the processing to supply FOODBANK of Western Australia with Weet-Bix.

 

Sharing joy at Christmas

Sanitarium employees are a giving bunch… and when it comes to Christmas it seems to be even more reason to share the joy with those in need!

Over 70 staff members and their families were involved in packing more than 2,500 food hampers, 400 personal hygiene packs, 700 children's stockings and wrapping hundreds of toys, which were then distributed to the homeless and disadvantaged in the Central Coast area.

Staff at Sanitarium Head Office in Berkeley Vale, NSW dug deep to give more than 60 specially selected gifts for the children at numerous shelters across the Central Coast.

Our Berkeley Vale factory staff also brought joy to many families at Christmas, with staff bringing in toys and gifts throughout December to place underneath a Christmas tree. All the gifts were then donated to a nearby women's refuge.

  

Sanitarium ambassadors help Marysville (VIC)

Twelve Sanitarium employees spent a week in Marysville, Victoria from November 9-13, 2009 to help build a community plant nursery. The team was made up of Branch Ambassadors from across Australia and New Zealand who are nominated by their peers as people who live Sanitarium’s philosophy.

Marysville was one of the communities hardest hit from the bushfires that occurred in February 2009 - the whole town was virtually wiped out. As people reconstruct their homes and businesses, thousands of plants have been donated from all across Australia. The nursery will provide a place for these plants to be cared for until people who are rebuilding their homes are ready to set up their gardens. The Sanitarium team spent the week organising plants, re-potting and constructing the greenhouse. It was a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

 

Funds raised for earthquake devastated Haiti

Employees at our Sanitarium Development and Innovation branch raised $1,250 with a fundraising lunch, attended by over 70 staff, with all proceeds going to assist aid work in Haiti, following the devastating earthquake that occurred there.