IGA: John Lawrence, Peter Watt, Annah and Brock White
Canowindra, thank you for your ongoing generosity!
Our community has shown up for Ronald McDonald House charities through Lawrences IGA charity box yet again. Your support through donations of non-perishable food and toiletry items are all from the local community. When shopping instore, shoppers can purchase and place non perishable items into the donation box. Alternatively members of the community have also chosen to donate their loyalty gift vouchers to go towards items to put in the box. These donations currently get spread between Orange and Westmead Ronald McDonald houses. This initiative began from the White Families Earn Your Stripes Fundraiser and has been able to continue due to the charitable community that we live in.
Canowindra has seen many of its families call Ronald McDonald house “home” in the past and it is fantastic to see us showing that support back to the charity. On Saturday the 13th November was McHappy Day. If you ever needed an excuse to get takeaway that was it. If munching down on a Big Mac isn’t your thing then there was the opportunity to also purchase a helping hand or a pair of silly socks.
All these donations continue to provide accommodation and support services, keeping families together when life gets turned upside down due to a child’s illness or injury. Your support is invaluable. The White family knows all too well about how much these donations are appreciated by families in need. The Whites have spent a considerable amount of time travelling back and forth from Canowindra to Sydney for surgeries and ongoing treatment for their son Leo who was born with a Laryngeal cleft. They continue to stay in the house now when they are there for treatment. A small donation, even something so little as donating a box of cereal might not seem like much, but it in fact helps so many. Being forced to move your family far from home, work, school and your entire support network due to a child’s illness is extraordinarily tough. The House has a wonderful community spirit, where we are be able to connect with other families going through experiences similar to our own.
The RMH’s are mainly run by volunteers, so if giving your time is more your style, Orange is only a short drive to change the lives of those doing it tough.
Massive thank you again to the community for their support.
Annah White
Editor Reply: Thank you Annah for your time in writing this for the community and sharing the importance of this very special charity. Thank you for your generoisty Lawrence’s IGA and the Canowindra community!