The Christmas spirit was alive and well at the Buderim Mens Shed, where members spent hundreds of hours handcrafting toys that were donated to families in need in the lead-up to Christmas 2021.
Ninderry MP Dan Purdie thanked the generosity of the members who had spent months meticulously crafting the toys.
The Buderim Mens Shed have a proud tradition of supporting the local community, and this Christmas gesture was a wonderful display of their charity and valuable contribution Mr Purdie explained.
Buderim Mens Shed President Barry Cheales said around 50 hand-made wooden toys were donated to local youth support organisation YouTurn, who then distributed the toys to struggling families, making their Christmas a little brighter.
“At the Buderim Mens Shed, we welcome members from all walks of life, and we’re lucky to have some very skilled craftsmen who’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their talents,” Mr Cheales said.
“These are quality handmade toys that deserve a good home, and on behalf of the Buderim Mens Shed, I am pleased we can donate them to a very worthy local group that will ensure that happens.”
Youturn Youth Support CEO, Dr Tanya Bell said on the back of COVID-19, and with the region in the grips of a housing crisis, many locals were struggling to put food on the table, let alone buy their kids a gift at Christmas.
“The reality is that parents who are doing it tough, buying presents to put under the Christmas tree is just an unaffordable luxury,” Dr Bell said.
“To help lighten and brighten their Christmas this year, these wooden toys will be a lovely reminder to our young people and families that someone cares, and that they are worthy of a beautifully handmade gift. We know that these gifts will mean the world to many of the children in our programs and we so appreciate this generous gesture by the Buderim Men’s Shed.”
Youturn Youth Support is a not-for-profit charity based at Tewantin that was started more than 30 years ago to help address youth homelessness in the Noosa region. Since then, the organisation has grown substantially working with young people and those that support them, expanding their focus to include Child Safety, Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and of course Homelessness.
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Their humble beginnings started as a Youth Homelessness grass roots project in 1989 with the Noosa Accommodation Project (NAP) which was officially launched by five volunteers supporting six young people. They have grown significantly since then to work at 14 locations across South East Queensland with a staff base of 160 employees and last year helped over 9600 people.
