Community engagement is at the heart of what we do at Flowers Across Sydney. Since 2016, we have been working diligently with charities all across Sydney to support the important work that they do in the community. Each month, we pair a charity with one of our beautiful, hand-wrapped bouquets. 10% of the bouquet’s sales are donated directly to the charity.
This year, through Givr, we managed to donate $2,302 to five charities engaging in indispensable work in Sydney. We are pleased to report that this is a 15.5% increase from the amount donated in 2020. Let’s take a brief look at the charities to which we donated in 2021.
Charity Donations in 2021
Giving to charities is one of the best parts of what we do at Flowers Across Sydney. Let’s take a look at the charities we worked with throughout 2021.
Zambi Wildlife Foundation
Based in Western Sydney. The Zambi Wildlife Foundation is an animal welfare organisation that provides care and protection to a large variety of animals. Additionally, they raises awareness about endangered species. The Foundation provides a sanctuary for wildlife. They also look after injured domestic and farm animals. Additionally, these animals may have lost their homes for various reasons.
The Zambi Wildlife Foundation oversees two animal welfare facilities. The first is the Zambi Native Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary rehabilitates injured or orphaned native animals. For example, animals such as emus, wallabies, and kangaroos. Established in 1977, the Zambi Native Wildlife Sanctuary also provides training for veterinarians. The second one is the unique Zambi Wildlife Retreat. Opening in 2012, it provides a comfortable home to a wide range of animals. For example, lions and tigers to meerkats and marmosets.
Apart from its own fundraising activities, Zambi relies fully on donations and support from local businesses and community members.
Total Environment Centre
Working hard to create a sustainable Australia. The Total Environment Centre (TEC) has successfully pioneered numerous environmental campaigns and initiatives. Including safeguarding multiple urban green spaces. In fact, saving over 2 million acres of forestland, and contributing to the introduction of important policies and laws.
TEC also works to raise awareness, share information with stakeholders, and advocate for positive environmental change at all levels. In fact, it distributes newsletters, produces podcasts, distributes media releases, and develops educational resources, among many other materials.
With its operations beginning in 1972, TEC is an independent and established stalwart in the Sydney community. Here it works closely with its residents, businesses, and decision-makers to bring concrete change in conserving the environment and protecting Australia’s natural heritage.
Dymocks Children’s Charities
As the philanthropic arm of Dymocks, the leading bookseller in Australia. Dymocks Children’s Charities’ focuses on improving children’s literacy and promoting reading across the country. Working with primary schools, hospitals, and non-organisations. Dymocks Children’s Charities provides only brand new books to children around the country, particularly in underserved areas.
Dymocks Children’s Charities currently runs four programs. The first established was the Book Bank program. Which currently operates in 14 schools across Australia. It gives students in Years 3 to 6 the opportunity to select four books per year that they will read and keep. Under the Duck Library Program, it sets up small new libraries for preschoolers in places like hospitals and refugee centres. The Library Regeneration Program provides new books to primary school libraries that cannot afford to update its stocks. Lastly, established in 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Read at Home Program. This program gives children in specific areas books of their own to read and keep at home.
With support from its partners, parent company, and community members. Dymock’s children’s charities was able to provide over $1 million of brand new books in 2021.
SecondBite
Since its early beginnings in 2005, the core mission of SecondBite has been to end food waste and hunger. In fact, they do this by supplying good food to people in need. By collecting surplus and unsold food from producers, manufacturers, and retailers and redistributing it completely free of charge. Additionally, this goes to food relief agencies, charities, and non-profits that run community food distribution programs.
SecondBite can be found in every state and territory in Australia. Additionally, its work contributes to providing edible food to the elderly, homeless, low-income, and disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. Its operations reach people in all areas across the city. From the CBD and suburbs to rural towns and the outback. It is so efficient that just a single dollar enables them to rescue and re-distribute up to 5 meals. SecondBite also extends its high-level of efficiency into the work that it does. Ensuring that it does not waste any energy or water in collecting, transporting, storing, and distributing the food that it rescues.
So far, SecondBite has distributed over 100 million meals to people in need.
Because of its commitment to provide its services for free in order to reach as many groups and individuals in need as possible, SecondBite relies quite a bit on donations from its partners.
Habitat for Humanity Australia
The provision of safe and decent shelter for low-income and vulnerable families is the principal objective of Habitat for Humanity Australia. Responsible for building over 160 homes in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia. Habitat for Humanity Australia also runs three other programs that expand access to sustainable and affordable housing.
Its Brush With Kindness Program involves volunteers undertaking landscaping and exterior renovation works to the homes of people and families that need it most. Under its Bushfire Recovery and Resilience Program, Habitat for Humanity Australia helps to rebuild homes that have been affected by fire. It also helps families prevent future bushfires through information sessions and the regular removal of potential fire hazards. And lastly, the Home Ownership Program provides interest-free loans to families and recipient families, in turn, invest at least 500 hours in planning and building the home.
In the communities that need it, Habitat for Humanity also provides water and sanitation solutions, as well as health and educational training, to create stable, strong, and self-reliant families.
Plans for 2022
One of our priorities is to continue to make a difference with Givr Charity program in 2022 and to make it even bigger and better by working with even more charities. We warmly invite you to share your favourite charities with us via our Instagram or Facebook pages @flowersacrosssydney and on Twitter @FlowersAcrossAu.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Givr
Givr is a free platform via which you can give gifts to people in your life. Developed by Flowers Across Australia, Givr allows you to send a wide variety of thoughtful and fun gifts, ranging from orchids, plant misters, and cocktails to pet accessories, a lolly pot, and reusable metallic straws.
Additionally, you can also use Givr to support the meaningful work undertaken by local charities and independent, non-profit organisations in Sydney. As part of Flowers Across Sydney’s goal of giving back to the community, it donates 10% of the sales of a select bouquet to a different local charity every month.
To support this month’s charity, all you have to do is visit the Charity Givr website and buy the bouquet that has been paired with it. And if you want to send a free gift to someone special, check out the Givr website and nominate them. It can be for a birthday, an anniversary, a gesture of gratitude or congratulations, or simply to make someone smile. And every week, Flowers Across Sydney will pick one person to receive a fun surprise!
How Can I Donate?
You can donate by visiting the Charity Givr website and purchasing the flower arrangement that has been paired with that month’s charity. A new charity is paired with a new bouquet each month, so you have the choice of donating to a new charity every month.
Can I Pick a Different Bouquet From the One Selected for this Month’s Charity Givr?
While the flowers for each month have all been preselected and already paired with charities, you have the option of customising the bouquet in several ways to your liking. You can decide whether the flowers are arranged in a vase or a bouquet and for some of the arrangements you can also choose your preferred flower colours. Additionally, Flowers Across Sydney will deliver the flowers to any suburb in Sydney and you can also opt for same-day delivery if you wish.
However, feel free to browse the rest of our website for additional flowers and gifts that you can send to someone special for any occasion.
Conclusion
At Flowers Across Sydney, we deeply care about the social issues that our communities are facing and we value the work that local charities are doing to address them. We seek to contribute to their efforts in whatever way we can. With your help, we hope to be able to donate even more resources to even more charities every year.
We also want to support causes that are near and dear to your heart. Therefore, please do share with us any charities that you feel we need to be aware of and we look forward to adding them to the Charity Givr platform in the coming months.