Friends of the EMC Spring Newsletter

Picnic in the Plaza

Sunday 22 October at 11.30am

You are warmly invited!

At 10am during the Sunday morning service at Canberra City Church we will be launching our EMC video which celebrates the guests, staff and volunteers at the EMC and offers a snapshot of the services and support available.

After the service, the celebrations will continue with a Picnic in the Plaza. A light lunch will be provided with live music including performances by some of the very talented EMC musicians.

If you aren’t able to attend the church service there will be a further opportunity to watch the EMC video in the Riley Hall, entry off Pilgrim Plaza.

Please come and watch the video, share some food and enjoy the music. Bring your family and friends. Parking will be available in the car park beneath the church. It will not be available in the Plaza.

To help with catering and parking, please RSVP by Sunday 15 October to emcadmin@canberracityuca.org.au, however you will still be warmly welcomed  without an RSVP.

What: A Picnic in the Plaza with food and music

Where: Pilgrim Plaza, entry off Rudd Street, behind Canberra City Uniting Church

When: Sunday 22 October at 11.30am, church service at 10am

Why: Celebrate the launch of the EMC video

Canberra Homeless Connect

Thursday 19 October from 11am to 3pm

We are very proud that, after a break of four years due to COVID, Canberra Homeless Connect will return this year.

Canberra Homeless Connect is a one-stop shop for people in the Canberra community who are at-risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. This one-day event will be held in and around Pilgrim Plaza and the premises of Canberra City Uniting Church. There will be stalls and representatives from many local community and government organisations offering access to services from legal help to pet food, from toiletries to financial counselling, and from clothing to food.

All guests are welcome to attend and no registrations are needed. More information is available on our website.

Grill’d Local Matters

We are excited to be part of the Grill’d Local Matters program this month!

Every month, each Grill’d restaurant splits $500 with three community groups to put towards their cause. The Early Morning Centre will be featured throughout the month of September at Grill’d Belconnen.

When you place your order at Grill’d, you receive a token to vote. Every burger equals a vote. To vote for us, place your token in the Early Morning Centre jar. At the end of the month the jar with the most tokens receives $300, the 2nd and 3rd are given $100 each.

You can find out more on our website.

Service spotlight

Monthly podiatrist visit

The EMC now has a podiatrist visiting regularly who is able to assist guests with a range of services including:

• General foot care and monitoring;

• General nail treatment including ingrown toe nail treatment; and

• Soft tissue injury.

The podiatrist attends the EMC on the first Saturday of the month and is a very welcome addition to the other health and welfare services available to our guests.

Pets in the Park

Pets in the Park was held monthly during winter, with good attendance by cats and dogs, and their owners.

This service provides free veterinary care for animals owned by people experiencing homelessness. The team of volunteers from Pets in the Park Canberra hold monthly clinics at the EMC.

You can find out more about Pets in the Park on our website.

Winter events wrap-up

Special events during winter

• We had a lunch for guests for Refugee Week in June.

• In July we celebrated the beginning of NAIDOC Week with a lunch cooked and served by players from the Women’s Canberra Raiders team.

• Homelessness Week was highlighted in August with a special lunch supplied by HelpingACT.

Women’s Canberra Raiders players cooking a BBQ for NAIDOC Week

Other winter events, mainly involving food

• Helping ACT have continued to support the EMC with regular Feel Good Feed lunches and monthly Friday night BBQs.

• Hope Christian Church cooked three delicious weekend breakfasts, and they have scheduled more for the coming months.

• Humanity First Australia provided a sausage sizzle lunch and warm clothes for our guests.

Deputy Chief Minister, Yvette Berry, with EMC Director, Nicole and staff member, Cherie at the June Feel Good Feed lunch provided by HelpingACT

Thanks to our winter supporters

Support to keep our guests warm

• Volunteers from We are Mobilise set up several clothing stalls at the EMC.

• Residents from Kangara Waters donated beanies, scarves and warm clothes.

• The Knights of Malta donated waterproof coats for our guests.

• Shoes were donated by Harrison School following a shoe drive.

• Canberra Circle of Women donated beautiful handmade beanies.

• Innisfail Craft/Sewing Group sent us a box of colourful beanies.

• Our supporter Geniene donated warm coats.

Our warm thanks to our other winter donors

• Mr 9 and his family made several generous donations of food for our emergency food packs.

• GIVIT answered our call for a new vacuum cleaner for the centre.

• Miss 7 and her family again donated food for our emergency food packs together with some yummy treats that had to be eaten immediately.

• Our breakfast volunteer Marie and her brothers cooked a Feel Good Feed lunch for our guests.

How you can help the work of the EMC

If you would like to help with donations for our emergency food packs, here’s the list of the items we include:

Financial donations are also welcome and can be made online via the Hands Across Canberra website.

Feel Good Feed lunches continue and can now be provided on the weekend.

The Feel Good Feed program provides the opportunity for local businesses and community groups to get firsthand experience helping people experiencing homelessness by cooking a lunch for our guests. Contact us to volunteer your group for this program.

Thank you for your continuing support of the EMC and your interest in our work.

Volunteers needed

We are looking for volunteers who are available for a couple of hours between 9am and 1pm on Saturday or Sunday on a regular basis.

We’re also seeking volunteers for a range of unique opportunities, such as an instructor for our guitar jam sessions and cooking classes, someone to lead our arts and craft sessions, and more (instruments, ingredients, supplies provided). We can be flexible to work around your schedule.

Please contact our team to find out more and get involved.

The Early Morning Centre is an activity of the Canberra City Uniting Church, with assistance from the ACT Government and the Commonwealth Government under the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement.

We acknowledge the way the traditional owners have cared for this land from time immemorial and commit ourselves to building more just ways of living together with the First Peoples of this land.