BBANZ is holding a Drought Appeal for farmers who are currently suffering severe hardships.  The Appeal will be through the BB Foundation and is Tax Deductible.  The farmers are having it tough at the moment so all monies collected will be going directly to them.

BBRV is the largest provider of affordable independent housing for Jewish Seniors in Australia operating since the 1960s.  BBRV currently controls two villages: Princess Gardens in Rose Bay and Kadimah Gardens in Wahroonga.

BBRV’s attention has been increasingly focused on assisting Jewish seniors living in rental stress through the provision of truly affordable and secure quality residential housing.

Rental stress occurs where the rent paid for residential accommodation takes up the majority of personal income leaving insufficient money to pay for even the most basic necessities of life, such as food, heating and medicine.

This situation is particularly prevalent in seniors with limited incomes who in many cases are forced to live in sub-standard accommodation such as basements, spare rooms and boarding houses with shared amenities.

Many of the Jewish Seniors suffering rental stress are pensioners while others like many of our parents were, recent arrivals with limited resources and family support, coming to Sydney in search of a better more secure life.

The consequences of property owners seeking to cash in on the recent Sydney property boom has seen many of our older residents being leveraged out of their long term residences, while others, struggling with unsustainable rental costs were forced to cut back on basic daily necessities.

Spiralling levels of enquiry over the last several years has led the BBRV Board to both significantly increase accessibility to accommodation and the level of financial support provided to Jewish Seniors in rental stress.

This support is delivered in the form of rental rebates with those assessed as requiring support  paying no more to live in BBRV villages than they would if they were housed in Public or Community housing.

In 2016 around 30% of the BBRV community received some level of support.  In recognition of the many Jewish Seniors seeking assistance the BBRV Board had in 2016 voted to increase support to $160,000 per annum.

In keeping with our mission BBRV will continue to support vulnerable Jewish seniors in our community through the provision of truly affordable independent residential accommodation.

Regards
 
Henry Wirth
Chairman
B'nai B’rith Retirement Villages Ltd

Charity Shop
434 Cleveland Street Surry Hills

Chairman: Robert Kohn

A registered charity "Opportunity Shop", the Bargain Bazaar in Sydney occupies a very important place amongst all the other activities of B'nai B'rith in N.S.W.

By collecting donated unwanted clothing and kitchen / household wares from within the Jewish community and selling them as second-hand goods, The Shop has raised in excess of $500,000 for a broad spectrum of charities of all denominations, humanitarian, medical and educational since its inception 25 years ago.
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Volunteering

From a humble beginning, today it is operated entirely by over 70 volunteers --- members and non-members, friends of B'nai B'rith --- and is constantly looking for new helpers for as little as 3 hours (or more?) per month. Lack of previous experience or age is no barrier --- only willingness to help is needed.

Beyond doubt, the Bargain Bazaar in Sydney is singularly the only hands-on, non-cheque-book fundraising activity of B'nai B'rith. For more information contact the Sydney B'nai B'rith office on tel: (02) 9321 6300 or council@bbnsw.org.au.

To hear about the beginnings of the Bargain Bazaar from one of its founders, find Hetty Hardy on Our People page.

Bargain Bazaar Committee Update - September 2017
by Linda Reitzin

​With the shop full to the rafters with winter stock, we are having a 50%-off sale on all clothing and shoes. This reduces some items from $6 to $3 so these sell quickly but the higher-priced clothing is moving slowly. The committee is always looking for ways to make the clothing more affordable as many customers rely on us but have little disposable income.
 
With the inclusion of furniture as part of our inventory, we sell pieces such as bedside tables, dining chairs, coffee tables and chests of drawers. These are delivered at a small charge. Occasionally we have had fridges and washing machines in good condition and these have sold quickly.
 
Donations for the shop are collected on a regular basis by volunteers. We take household items, small items of furniture, clothing and books. Customers also bring donations into the shop. Many of the donors are regular contributors and others are either moving house or winding up a deceased estate. All donors are thanked by phone. Not everything we are offered is accepted – we look for items in good condition and something that we know we can sell. There are occasions when we receive an item that is too valuable to sell in the shop such as a wedding dress or a designer handbag so it goes on eBay.
 
We have finally come into the 21st century with the addition of an EFTPOS machine. Customers are inclined to spend a bit more when they know that they can use their credit card. The committee has other ideas for upgrading the systems used in the shop, such as introducing electronic signage.
 
A project that has recently been completed is a training manual for volunteers. This has been put together by one of the members of the committee with input from others and will be distributed to all volunteers at the AGM later this year. Another system that has been introduced is having new volunteers fill in an application form so that their details and availability can be recorded accurately in our database.
 
We are always looking for additional volunteers to fill either vacant regular shifts or to go on the emergency list to fill vacant casual shifts. Shifts are only 3 hours, either 10 – 1 or 1 – 4 during the week and on Sunday 10 – 3.  Our chairman Robert Kohn is the contact and his mobile number is 0413 676 963.