Supporting the services that keep communities going
12 May 2020
This week BHP announced a $95,800 contribution to the Emergency and Long Term Accommodation (ELAM) in Moranbah to support the Isaac Region facing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team at ELAM work tirelessly to support the community in the Isaac Region, by collecting and distributing food, dignity packs and emergency relief.
BHP’s funding, through the Vital Resources Fund (VRF), has helped ELAM hire two new local Vital Emergency Coordinators who will oversee the purchase and distribution of dignity packs, groceries and emergency relief such as fuel, medical scripts, transportation and accommodation throughout the Isaac Region.
ELAM property manager and service coordinator Tracy Chapman said ELAM were honoured to be successful recipients of the BHP Vital Resources funding.
She said the funding enables support to community members of the Isaac region impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and welcomed Brooke Andrews and Yolanda Dorward to the team.
“They have local knowledge and are based at the Moranbah Youth and Community Centre, they will oversee the volunteers, purchase, and distribute food parcels, meals, dignity items including nappies and formula, fuel vouchers, transportation, accommodation in a motel, or paying for script medications,” Tracy said.
Isaac Regional Council members who are residents in Clermont, Moranbah, Dysart, Middlemount, Coppabella, Nebo, Glenden and St Lawrence will work with the Vital Emergency Relief Coordinators to make sure the support is as wide-reaching as possible.
Our contribution was made through BHP’s newly established Vital Resources Fund (VRF), which was established to support regional Australian communities facing significant challenges as a result of COVID-19.
In addition to providing immediate relief, the VRF will work with partners to support longer term projects aimed at strengthening communities, to address impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the longer term impacts of the crisis become clearer, the VRF will seek to fund larger scale, longer term projects designed to specifically address this impact.
