Spending time in hospital is never ideal, but one Moreton Bay resident and her family members aim to make it a bit easier – through a charity drive for materials to help keep patients occupied.
The endeavour revolves around collecting art supplies, magazines, books and similar items from community donation points, which are then allocated to local hospitals.
According to the organiser, Lauren Miller, the initiative was spearheaded by her own time spent in care.
“I became a patient at Caboolture Hospital and was desperate for something to do to occupy time, and a poor nurse ran all over the hospital just trying to find some coloured pencils for me,” Ms Miller said.
“As someone who has been in hospital for long stretches of time, one of the worst parts about it is boredom.”
Ms Miller credited her partner Garth Leahy for helping to launch the concept of donating goods to nearby hospitals, particularly with regard to the initial groundwork and planning that went into the process.
She said that Eliza Leahy, the mother of her partner, had also contributed by creating a logo that would be used on flyers to promote the project going forward.
“At present, we are distributing to the mental health wards at Caboolture Hospital with aims to extend to dementia and palliative wards,” Ms Miller said.
In addition to gathering magazines and books for charitable contributions, Ms Miller and her family have received requests for men’s basic apparel and toiletry products, indicating a clear need for these supplies.
Where to Donate to Hospital Patients
“The lovely Angela, owner of The Coffee Patch (at 1/11 Hasking Street), generously offered to be our first collection point in Caboolture,” Ms Miller said.
The team now has another drop-off point in the region, courtesy of Kate Cartwright of Revival Green (located at 24 Baynes Street in Margate and open for donations until the end of August only).
You can contribute to the initiative by donating appropriate items to either collection points or directly to Caboolture or Redcliffe Hospitals.
If you have any questions, email lauren.craftcare@gmail.com, and for more information, visit ‘The Coffee Patch on Hasking’ and ‘Revival Green Studio’ on Facebook.
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