SMALL COMFORTS FOR COMMUNITY

An update from Small Comforts from Community
A collaboration of Clubs within Rotary District 9800 including lead Club Rotary Hawthorn
Members will recall our social impact project provides care bags as a welcome gift for inpatients upon their admission to mental health wards in local public hospitals.
We’re excited to announce that this initiative has recently expanded. In addition to providing care bags and clothing to The Alfred and Upton House (Eastern Health), we now also distribute care bags to patients at the Royal Melbourne and St Vincent’s Hospitals. Over 1,500 care packs are provided each year to some of the most vulnerable members of our community. We also provide basic clothing to inpatients at The Alfred and Upton House.
This expansion has been made possible thanks to the support of the Rotary Clubs of Williamstown and Glenferrie, who joined our collaboration which already included the  Rotary Clubs of Albert Park, Brighton North, Hawthorn, Malvern, Port Phillip, and Glenferrie, with additional support from Donations in Kind. 
The project was established with the financial support of a Rotary Foundation District Grant The recent expansion into additional hospitals was facilitated through a Centenary Grant from the Rotary Club of Balwyn.
Members of our team are actively involved in liaising with the hospital staff, sourcing products as well as packing and sorting and of course delivery to the hospitals. 
We regularly have packing sessions to pack the care bags which are very popular with Rotary Hawthorn members. 
 The hand-sewn “care bags” are packed with a variety of items, including a journal or notebook, a pack of coloured pencils, a pen, deodorant, lip balm, moisturiser, socks, and a hairbrush or comb—each item is brand new.
These packs not only provide a sense of welcome and care but also significantly enhance patients' wellbeing and improve their rate of recovery. Also, by making each patient’s stay more comfortable, the care bags and clothing help alleviate some of the pressure on health workers, allowing them to focus on 
other aspects of patient care.
Here are some quotes from hospital staff and patients about the impact of the project:
From Hospital Staff:
  • “Patients have expressed surprise and delight at the quality of the gifts. The new clothing, in particular, offers comfort, especially after often distressing experiences leading up to their hospital admission.”
  • “Many patients arrive disorganised and distressed, often having misplaced or lost personal belongings. These thoughtful gestures make a real difference to their experience during admission.”
  • “The journals provide a source of solace and self-expression for many patients.”
From Patients:
  • “I came in with only the clothes I was wearing, which I had been in for days. When the nurse gave me a fresh set of casual clothes, I finally felt more like myself again.”
  • “I didn’t have toiletries with me when I came to the hospital. This simple gesture has given me comfort and a sense of dignity during my stay.”
  • “I use my journal to write down my thoughts and plan for when I leave.”
Our project is a wonderful example of what can be achieved when we work together—Rotary truly making a difference. 
Thank you to everyone involved and in particular those club members that turn up for the packing sessions.
If any of our members would like to participate in future packing sessions, please contact the project lead from Rotary Hawthorn .
Email: katrinaflinn@gmail.com