THROUGH its People of Post grant program, Australia Post has funded the purchase of a BBQ for Nambucca Valley Youth Services Centre, a purchase that will mean more sausage sizzles to bring local youngsters together more often.

The sausage sizzles become a focus to unite the community, build relationships with local youth and inform them of the safe space they can go to for support.

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The annual People of Post grant program asks its staff to nominate a not-for-profit organisation they believe is making a difference in their community.

Brooke Lane at Nambucca Heads Post Office suggested Nambucca Valley Youth Services (NVYS) for its relevant and meaningful offering to local young people.

NVYS then had to make a submission for the $1,000 grant, detailing their project.

Deirdre Bear, a board member at NVYS, affectionately known as the Youthie, told News Of The Area, “We named our submission ‘Reaching Youth – one BBQ at a time’.

“Barbeques are a great way to get young people together.

“The idea is to take the BBQ to the local skatepark or footy ground and make an occasion of getting together.

“Getting out to young people in the past, we’ve always had to borrow equipment.

“Having our own is definitely going to increase the number of times we can go out and set up a BBQ.

“When this opportunity came along it seemed like a chance to get a decent transportable BBQ; we’ve ordered a Weber.”

With a limited budget, Deidre says the Nambucca Valley Youthie program is run on “the smell of an oily rag”.

“But we’ve kept it going for 20-plus years.”

While gaining the grant for buying the BBQ is exciting, Deidre said the support of others in the community is also very rewarding.

“To know that there’s people in the community that support us, like Brooke at the Post Office, is really lovely,” she said.

Through its team members’ nominations Australia Post has delivered grants of up to $1,000 to 438 community groups and not-for-profits within their local communities across the country, including 73 in NSW.

Using their local connections and first-hand experiences within the community, local posties, Post Office workers and other Australia Post team members nominated organisations as possible grant recipients they saw having a big impact at grassroots level.

Australia Post’s General Manager Community and Stakeholder Engagement, Nicky Tracey, said, “These grants give our team members the opportunity to recognise and support the meaningful work being done by local community groups they are passionate about, at a time where many need a helping hand.

“We’re delighted to see a 20 percent increase in nominations this year from our team members, who themselves are often volunteers or play a role to support local community organisations.

“Volunteers and non-profits are the backbone of our communities, making a positive difference to individuals and communities every day.”

By Andrea FERRARI