Children attending Scallywags Long Day Care and Preschool make life better through art

Children from the Acacia Room at Scallywags Long Day Care and Preschool, located in Bathurst, regional New South Wales, have created and donated four individual canvases for a local community outreach service which provides hot meals, something to drink, change of clothing and a sleeping bag to those in the community who may be doing it tough. 

Staffed by 26 community volunteers and 15 first-year paramedic students from Charles Sturt University, the Uniting Safe Shelter (USS) cafe welcomed the artwork, with cafe coordinator Julie Greig telling local publication The Western Advocate that the aim of those working in the shelter is to “make it as welcoming as possible”, and noting that the artwork will go a long way towards that goal. 

“To have the children’s artwork here, it’s a wonderful contribution and addition to the cafe” Ms Greig said. “This is a community project and it’s great to have so many groups involved.”

The cafe and subsequent services have experienced a lot of demand in 2020, with Ms Grieg saying the initiative has been “an overwhelming success” despite coronavirus pandemic challenges. 

“Whatever we’re doing, it’s been a success because so many people have given their time and donated money and goods,” she told The Western Advocate, thanking the community for their contributions.

For more information about Scallywags Long Day Care and Preschool, please see here.