ONE DOLLAR CAN GO A LONG WAY
A TOWNSVILLE- based charity group has been donating food to the needy in the region for 15 years and has paid just $ 15 in rent during that period thanks to a generous sponsor.
Food Relief NQ was established by self- made millionaire Brad Webb to help welfare agencies from Cairns to Mackay. Volunteers and sponsors gathered at Webb Drive Estate in Townsville on Saturday to mark the 15th anniversary of the group.
Mr Webb said 15 years ago he had been approached by groups asking for support and decided to help by building a warehouse.
Eight weeks later it was ready and he has charged $ 1 a year for rent.
Mr Webb said, at the beginning, Food Relief NQ did not have much.
“We didn’t have the best food and we didn’t have too many cars,” he said.
“But we worked and saved and now we have refrigerated trucks and utes. And we bought our own forklift which we paid for in cash ourselves.
“We’ve built it up as an operation and now it runs successfully.”
Mr Webb paid tribute to the 30 volunteers who turned up every week. “Many of the volunteers who started with me 15 years ago are still helping me,” he said. “We also get no government money, apart from $ 15,000 from Townsville City Council. It’s a sustainable model.”
Food Relief NQ is described as the charity that “gives food to the groups who give food”.