CHARITY TARGET OF ATTACKS
ROSIES volunteers have been forced to use their own cars to deliver food to vulnerable people across the Gold Coast because charity vans have been vandalised almost every week during the festive season.
Front and back windows on two Rosies vans have been smashed by vandals four times since mid-December.
The outreach charity, which offers food, supplies and support to the city’s homeless and isolated, has been using a Benowa primary school for free storage, meaning those responsible are navigating multiple fences to access the vans.
Gold Coast volunteer Rosie Toeta said: “If they were targeting any other place there would be smashed windows everywhere (at the school) but we’ve checked and there aren’t.
“We’ve had no incidents, we love our patrons. There’s been nothing where someone’s had an argument.”
She said volunteers had
put yoga mats against the windows to try and stop them from being smashed, but both the mats and the glass had been broken in subsequent attacks.
The charity said it may have to consider finding another home base, meaning added expenses for already tight funding.
Fundraising manager
Lacee Overton said the repeated incidents were devastating for volunteers.
“We almost had to cancel (a weekend) outreach, which we never want to do unless we’re told by the government or because of weather,” she said.
“Our volunteers went out in their personal vehicles and made sure we could still do it.
But if our volunteers are taking time out (to get vans repaired) they’re not having time for outreach.
“To get the phone call that it had happened again was gut-wrenching.”
Police have been contacted about the incidents.
Asked if she had any message for the culprits, Ms
Overton said: “Every action we take has an effect.
“If they are kids smashing the van as fun and not understanding what they’re doing that’s all well and good but they need to understand (what it means).
“It could be these people need somebody to talk to and we would happily accept them into our community.”