WHERE there's a will, there's a way.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That is the thinking behind this year's St Vincent de Paul Society's annual community sleep out event.
As with most things this year, events have either had to be cancelled or done a little differently.
The latter is the theory Vinnies has gone with, coming up with a new way to host its community sleep out event in Leeton.
Rather than getting together in groups for the fundraiser for the organisation, Leeton shire residents are now encouraged to "rough it" at home.
Whether that be sleeping on the couch for the night, rolling out the swag in the backyard or even sleeping in your car while it's tucked away in the garage, the ideas are endless.
MORE NEWS
The idea behind the community sleep out is to raise money for Vinnies work in local communities offering food, clothing, temporary accommodation and support with bills to people experiencing hardship.
Leeton volunteer with Vinnies Brian Troy is preparing to roll his swag out on October 23 for the event.
"I think it's something easy we can all be doing from our homes to support Vinnies," he said.
"You can make it into a bit of fun for the whole family as well.
"It's a good chance to support the work Vinnies does.
"I think if the pandemic has shown us anything, it's that we can still find ways to do good for the community."
The idea behind these community sleep outs is to give participants a small taste of what it is like to sleep rough.
Currently more than 116,000 people in Australia go to bed each night without a safe and secure place to live.
NSW accounts for over a third of the national total with well over 37,000 people experiencing homelessness.
Leeton shire residents can register to take part and donate at www.vinnies.org.au/communitysleepout.
