Metropolitan Adelaide Rotary clubs unite for communities in need

PICTURED: Members of the Rotary club of Lightsview, along with members of the Rotary Clubs of Mawson Lakes and Walkerville, collected 25 boxes of goods at Greenacres Shopping Centre.

United by purpose, 11 Rotary clubs across Metropolitan Adelaide, SA, joined forces to deliver the Shop & Share project – a powerful partnership proving that collective kindness can make a lasting difference in times of need.

By Yvette Reade. President, Rotary Club of Adelaide Light, SA.

In April 2025, 11 Rotary Metropolitan Adelaide clubs – Adelaide, Adelaide Central, Adelaide Light, Adelaide Parks, Kent Town, Lightsview, Mawson Lakes, Prospect, Regency Park, Walkerville and West Torrens – united to undertake their first joint project, Shop & Share, which provides much needed goods to people facing extreme hardship, particularly during the current cost of living crisis.

Over four days, Rotary volunteers from District 9510 Community Group 1 clubs collected non-perishable foods, hygiene products and other essentials at five collection points in Adelaide and nearby suburbs.

The project had various clubs combining members at chosen shopping centres or supermarkets to display Shop & Share posters, requesting shoppers to buy a little extra in their weekly shop to donate to people in need. Rotary volunteers were delighted with the community’s generosity, with shoppers purchasing anything from one item to a whole trolley-load of much needed goods.

“At Romeo’s Supermarket in North Adelaide, one staff member came out to thank us for undertaking this project,” said then president of the Rotary Club of Adelaide Light, Yvette Reade.

Many years ago, she and her two children had experienced homelessness after a violent domestic incident forced them to leave their home with almost nothing. Fortunately, they found safe refuge in a women’s shelter for six months before starting to rebuild their lives.

The Rotary Clubs of Adelaide and Adelaide Light chose to collect in front of Romeo’s Supermarket in the North Adelaide Village. On the Saturday, Adelaide Light collected two large shopping trolleys worth of goods that were delivered that evening to Catherine House headquarters to distribute to their many women’s safe houses in the city. Catherine House provides crisis accommodation to women experiencing homelessness and helps them build relationships, engage in activities that support their health, wellbeing, confidence and their recovery journey in a safe space.

“The Catherine House staff were absolutely delighted when we delivered a large boot-full of necessary items such as canned goods, bathroom necessities, pasta, cereals and other non-perishable goods,” Yvette said.

Then president-elect of the Rotary Club of Adelaide, Gildi Carti, took the same amount of goods on Sunday evening to their club’s chosen charity, Women’s Safety Services, which advocates for women and children experiencing domestic and family violence.

The Rotary Club of Lightsview joined with members from the Rotary Clubs of Mawson Lakes and Walkerville at Greenacres Shopping Centre and managed to collect 25 boxes of goods that were donated to Lutheran Care and the North East Community Assistance Project (NECAPS).

“It was heartwarming to talk to so many lovely people who donated food,” said then President Liz Pryzibilla.

The community response to the Shop & Share stall was very positive. Many people stopped to tell us their own stories of homelessness and/or domestic violence. Some came with trolley loads of goods. Many people who worked at the centre or owned shops also contributed – even the security guards brought baskets of goods to donate.

The multi-club Rotary Community Group project gained media attention through Channel 7’s Friday night news segment ‘Ray of Sunshine’ and was filmed at the Brickworks Marketplace, so the weekend project was well publicised.

“From Thursday to Saturday we collected 81 boxes of goods at the Brickworks Marketplace, which went to CareWorks, the Western Adelaide Domestic Violence Service and the Camden Community Centre’s ‘Food and Wellbeing Outreach Program’ for disenfranchised youth,” said then secretary of the Rotary Club of West Torren’s Ann McGoran.

“It was lovely when donors said they had benefited themselves from food parcels when they were in need, and now it was great to pay it back.”

“All the clubs experienced similar donation largesse, and seeing adults encouraging and engaging their children and grandchildren to donate goods to our trolleys was uplifting and augurs well for the future,” said Rotary Community Leader Group 1 Heidi Unferdorben. “This was a very successful project that helped the people in our community who needed it the most.”

Together, Rotary can create a lasting impact – one meal, one family, one act of kindness at a time.

For more information on the Shop & Share project, contact Yvette of the Rotary Club of Adelaide Light 0419 043 042.