After promised state government funding for Salt Care went undelivered, CEO Peter Dover is pushing community support for their efforts with the I Said Yes campaign.
“We wanted to start a grassroots campaign where everybody in society can get involved,” Mr Dover said.
Mayor Patricia White has pledged to donate to the campaign monthly, and urges locals to jump on board.
“I’m challenging for up to 200 people in the Shoalhaven to join the campaign,” Cr White said.
“Salt Care helps so many people; they need funding to continue helping people, so we need to fund it.”
The cost-of-living and housing crisis means Salt Care – a charity helping people who are homeless and others in need in the Shoalhaven – needs financial support.
“We are in a cost of living and housing crisis, so people don’t have a lot of resources, but people want to help in some way,” Mr Dover said.
“We had corporate donors give us funding, but they’ve dried up because people are struggling.”
Salt Care is the largest support provider on the South Coast but gets only a small portion of its funding from the government, which is why it hopes to gain the financial support of at least 1000 people for the campaign.
“Once you get to 1000 people, interest grows organically then.”
Salt Care helped more than 8,700 people with food insecurity last year, but it had around 14,000 inquiries from people in need.
“That’s a phenomenal amount when we’ve got about 100,000 people in our region,” Mr Dover said.
“It’s only getting worse.
“If services like us go, there’s no one there to pick it up.”
Peter and Megan Dover started Salt Care with a barbecue helping to feed low-income families.
“Within two weeks we had 60 to 80 people gathering every Tuesday for food,” Mr Dover said.
Their work has evolved in the 15 years since then.
They created Salt Care and Salt Shelter, a not-for-profit to support locals experiencing financial difficulties, homelessness, mental health concerns and more.
The passion Mr Dover and the Salt Care team have for their work is evident.
The organisation now has 42 transitional houses and provides 12 beds a night with Safe Shelter Shoalhaven on Kinghorne Street, Nowra.
They also feed hundreds of people every Tuesday and Thursday at their office in Birriley Street, Bomaderry.
Salt’s slogan, “Passionate lovers of God and relentless lovers of people”, is indivisible from the organisation’s work.
“People used to stop me on the street and ask if the people we’re helping are grateful,” Mr Dover said
“I’m not doing it for their gratefulness. I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”
Credit: Amy Blizzard, South Coast Register