CHRISTMAS IN JULY 2026
In winter, a lot of Australians are busy keeping themselves warm, lighting fireplaces, turning on multiple heaters, exhausting energy bills and wrapping themselves up up in layers, even whilst indoors – all while some are left manning hand-made forts just to keep themselves out of the wind and out of the rain.
And so LinkedUp Network decided to run a Christmas in July campaign to bring warmth to these people, instead of expecting them to find it themselves. I purchased everyday winter items such as blankets, beanies and umbrellas and distributed them in areas of need.
I distributed as many of the following items as possible: blankets, socks, beanies, umbrellas, emergency rain ponchos, pillows, flannelette jumpers with fleece lining, breakfast from McDonalds, and, a winter edition of the print version of iLocal® – click here to read.
Each care package also contained a hand-made card, each with a heartfelt note from LinkedUp Network, as well as a pre-reserved, pre-printed ticket, to the City of Perth Library’s Winter Film Club, August screening – each item a semblance of a winter lifeline.
I started the effort where we had left off last Christmas, Weld Square. It was bucketing down at the time and I spotted a one-person shelter that had obviously been handmade using great ingenuity. I assumed the person inside would appreciate a hot breakfast (as he was not attending the free Sunday Service in East Perth) and so I drove-through the McDonalds drive-thru and purchased a number of bacon and egg McMuffins and hashbrowns. I parked the car and approached the shelter.
I metaphorically knocked on the door and addressed the person: “excuse me sir or mam, I have a hot breakfast for you”, the person underneath the shelter made an effort to uncover his face, and I said, I also have a care package for you that contains an umbrella. He immediately sat up, accepted the breakfast and the care package, and said ‘thank you sweetie’. He rummaged through the care package for the umbrella, propped it up and ate his breakfast. This experience led me to believe that although his shelter was made with great effort, it potentially was not keeping him dry.
I went back to the car, cried out of empathy, composed myself, and then pressed on to the place I thought I knew well, the Sunday Moore Street Breakfast. Upon arrival, there was noone to be seen, and so I googled “Moore Street free Sunday Breakfast”, and learned that it had been relocated to Royal Street carpark in East Perth. And so there I ventured.
At the time of my arrival, there were Orange Sky vans among other support services still setting up, all whilst it was raining. I saw a car next to where I had parked that had people inside that appeared to be living in it. I offered them the rest of the McDonalds I had left as I knew I did not have enough for all of the people I was about to meet, they accepted the gesture willingly.
I then approached the line of people that had started to form. As I spoke aloud about what I had brought with me to distribute, many spoke up, obvious with the fact that they desperately needed an umbrella. I rummaged through the care packages I had ensuring those who needed an umbrella were receiving one.
One man who was a part of the line himself, graciously offered to carry the large bags full of care packages from the car to where the people were lined up, noticing that I was distributing them by myself. I then asked the crowd of lined up people who needed a pillow or a jumper – one man I asked graciously said I have a place to stay and offered it to the man behind him.
When I was all out of supplies, a few people asked if I had any extra, obviously not confident enough to speak out at the onset. I had to unwillingly turn them down. However I went back to the car to see what else I could find. It was then that I realised I had a large beach umbrella that would make-shift as a fantastic weather proof shelter, I called out and asked who was sleeping really rough and would make use of the rainbow coloured umbrella intended for use in the sand, and willingly gave it to the first man that came forward and said yes please.
What I noticed the most during this experience, was the manners. Majority of the individuals who received these winter care items were so admiringly humble and appreciative to receive them that it almost tears my heart in two, the negative stigma that surrounds these individuals, which is often far from the truth, is heart breaking; shoved negligently into one negative stereotype, when in reality, there are hundreds of unique case scenarios that have led these people into crisis.
As I was leaving I found myself wishing I could return the following weekend to do the exact same thing, to restore some faith in humanity, and to provide some hope to those that could very well have lost it all…
(swipe left on smart device or click right arrow on computer to see next image in slideshow)
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