Funding a workable space
Sometimes, it’s the seemingly inconsequential, kind of unglamorous things – like bench tops – that make all the difference when it comes to getting a big job done.
If you’re making well over 2,000 sets of curtains every year, you’re going to need a really good work space.
So, when three new bench tops, funded by a Nikau Foundation grant, were installed at the Wellington Curtain Bank, they were warmly welcomed by the volunteers and staff who sort, measure, cut and line curtains for low income families, says, Communities Manager, Susie Robertson.
“It’s the simple things, like better work benches that can make a world of difference, we now have a much more efficient space for our volunteers and staff members to work in.”
“We get mountains of curtains donated – which is so fantastic. They always arrive in bulk and need to be sorted, so having these bench tops which are all the same height now, and having extra room for storage, means the operation can flow more smoothly.”
An idea born from trash
The Wellington Curtain Bank is a programme led by the Sustainability Trust. The Trust has an interesting story to tell – starting at Porirua’s Trash Palace in 2003 by a few keen environmentalists talking to people about ways to reduce their waste, and live in balance with the environment.
They hit their stride the following year when the government started funding insulation to create healthier, more energy efficient homes for low-income families. The trust successfully applied to become a partner, ordered their first container of insulation, and warmed up 68 homes that year. Now they insulate an average of 900 homes annually.
Their steady growth since 2004 has allowed them to refit a central Wellington space to create a warm and busy EcoCentre and home to the Wellington Curtain Bank.
Curtains creating warmer homes
The work done by its two part time staff members, and 26 volunteers who donate over 3,000 hours of their time annually, is having a huge impact in the community, says Susie.
“Our wonderful Curtain Bank crew have been producing 2,400 sets of curtains each year for 600 low income families in the Greater Wellington region. And next year the goal is to make even more!”
We are grateful to the Francis and Dianne Small Fund which helped make this grant possible.