Staff of McCartney Family Funerals hope to alleviate the plight of the homeless in Cleveland, Wynnum and Logan this year with a charity drive for sleeping bags, cups of noodles and cans of baked beans, spaghetti and soup.
Imogen Bizilis said every year the company supported a different charity and this year it was supporting the work of Rosies at Cleveland and Roceels at Beenleigh in what is a real and visible issue.
She said the company had reached out once before to the same charities and had been inundated with support and donations.
“We reached out and asked ‘what do you need?’,” she said.
“If we can keep people warm and fed, this campaign has been a success.”
Ms Bizilis said homelessness was a huge problem with whole families sleeping in tents.
“And they don’t hide away anymore. It’s not just about sleeping in parklands,” she said.
“Now they are next to offices and in main streets. You see them on the main street of Cleveland, sleeping on the street and in empty buildings. It’s right there in your face and we have a chance to help.
“They never bother anyone. One man leaves his belongings at one business and people leave him be.
“I have a seven-year-old who asked me why a man was on the street and I explained that he didn’t have a home. How do you explain this to a seven-year-old?
“This isn’t just a local problem. It’s all over south-east Queensland and we see it on a daily basis.
“If there is any way we can make a small difference to our community, that is something we want to do.”
Anyone wanting to donate the listed goods to the appeal can bring them to the offices at McCartney Family Funerals.
The campaign runs until May 26.
