Residents back bid to help homeless

TONI Mitchell has been gathering donations for the homeless for more than a decade and she wasn’t going to let Covid-19 stop her from continuing the streak.

The Toowoomba mum and community advocate has donated $500 worth of clothes, toiletries, food and other essential items to the Toowoomba Homeless Outreach as part of her Hand For The Homeless campaign.

What was traditionally a charity concert in the CBD, the onset of the pandemic last year forced Ms Mitchell to shift gears while still ensuring donations were collected.

“Last year and this year, there was no concert, but this is the 12th year now,” she said.

“We’ve finished collecting officially, but we’ll still take more.

“I’d say there was at least $500 worth of goods there — there are blankets, sand shoes, toiletries, food and clothes.”

Helping her every step of the way was Ms Mitchell’s son Joshy, who has been an integral part of the campaign.

“People dropped stuff off but Joshy and I did all the sorting and putting it altogether,” she said.

“It’s good we can still do it, even though we can’t do the concert.

“He misses the concert, but always enjoys being able to do stuff for the community.

“We’re very grateful for all the generous donations from the community.”

Ms Mitchell said the need for donations had increased in 2021 due to an increase in homeless people, largely attributed to the economic impacts of Covid-19 and the housing crisis.

Anyone who would like to donate can call Toni 0438 327 984.