Curtainbank Rotorua accepts gifted, pre-loved, clean curtains and prepares them for donation to people in need, and is run by volunteers. Photo / Supplied
Curtainbank Rotorua accepts gifted, pre-loved, clean curtains and prepares them for donation to people in need, and is run by volunteers. Photo / Supplied
Curtainbank Rotorua is putting the call out for more curtain donations, with its stock running low as the colder and wetter months begin to set in.
The charitable trust accepts gifted, pre-loved, clean curtains and prepares them for donation to people in need, who are either referred or hold a community services card.
Referrals come from whānau services, social workers, GP practices, district nurses and community health organisations in the district.
Its goal is to help people, families and children living in cold, mouldy and unhealthy homes.
Curtainbank Rotorua trustee Judy Gregor says they would love people to consider donating their curtains if they are able.
Even over the recent summer months there was a steady demand for curtains, she says.
From October 12 to April 12 the trust put curtains in 60 homes, which included 118 bedrooms, 14 lounges, 23 dining rooms and 20 other rooms such as kitchens and hallways.
Judy says this number of requests over the summer season was definitely more than they would usually expect for that time period. This, along with low donation numbers, has meant that the trust is going into the winter months with lower stock than normal.
She thinks a reason for the summer increase may be that, with the weather not being great, people were looking ahead to the colder months early. She also thinks the current economic situation may mean that people are hanging on to older curtains longer than usual, rather than replacing and donating them.
Curtainbank Rotorua's goal is to help people, families and children living in cold, mouldy and unhealthy homes. Photo / Supplied
“There are quite a lot of older style homes - they were well-built during state housing times in the 50s, 60s and 70s, but are not insulated because that didn’t happen then.”
This had contributed to respiratory infections over the last couple of decades, she says.
Clean and warm curtains can make a big difference to a home becoming a healthier and more insulated place to live, Judy says, helping to combat windows and homes being cold, damp and becoming mouldy.
She says the Curtainbank Rotorua volunteers are amazing - “They work away steadily, they are regular and it’s such a privilege to do this with them.
“It makes such a difference to work with a team that gets on with the job and are comfortable with what they are doing.”
Volunteer jobs include sewing, sorting, order filling and delivering.
She says Healthy Homes and Rotorua Whānau Services have been great to work with too.
