This year are putting together some Christmas hampers to support locals doing it tough over the holidays. If you have nice Christmassy food items or small things like soaps or household basics that you would yourself enjoy as part of a practical and thoughtful hamper, we’re accepting donations - please drop them in the office this week or next.

And … this week we are continuing on our whole of site organisational quest - new storage for the community shed, new cupboards and tubs … and with more room we are undertaking lots of rearranging right across our spaces. By the end of the week we hope to have a sensible home for everything … and then we’ll wrestle our office into shape (again) … and get cracking on our program for next year.

Also coming up in our last few weeks of the year …

1. Alphington Arts - 7pm, Thursday 12 December. Come along for some end of year creativity

2. Christmas Lunch - 12pm, Friday 13 December. Gold coin donation. We’ll have ham and chicken, salads etc. and Santa!

3. Christmas Carols - 7pm, Sunday 22 December at the Alphington Bowls Club. Always lovely and great for families Bring along cash donation for charity.

4. Project Stationery - we’re excited to be supporting this sustainability initiative over summer. Volunteers will be using ACC facilities to sort and rehome excess stationery collected from schools across Melbourne from 14 December to 26 January.

Also … we’ve finally got our tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicum into the front gardens … with mulch etc. It’s looking great out there!

Don’t forget to RSVP for Christmas lunch - call or email - if you can! Have a great week.

Leanne

We appreciate all those that spared the time to complete the online survey this week. As you will be aware, the survey was interested in whether neighbourhood houses help people build stronger community connections.

The information is being consolidated by NHVic - our peak body, and will then be forwarded on to the State Government, who provide nearly 500 neighbourhood houses across Victoria with base funding.

Hi all, we’ve got our Christmas Makers Market on Saturday … and it is going to be hot. It is on from 11am-2pm for Christmas shopping, with food and drinks and some Christmas crafty fun!

We’ll have the a/c on inside - you’ll be able to check out the artists exhibiting as part of Alphington Open Studios and cool down … and we’ve got plenty of shade in the garden with our plane trees and pergolas … we’ll also get out our umbrellas and have some icypoles and cool drinks etc. for sale.

More broadly … at this stage it looks like we’ll have a run of days over 30 degrees … which also means homes will heat up and people who rely on public transport for shopping etc. might need to plan ahead.

Darebin Council and Yarra Council have some great info about heat health … with lots of sensible reminders - like shopping for meals that you can eat cold, putting wet washers in the freezer, shading west windows, and more.

And - once you’re all set up at your place you might also like to check in on any neighbours and family who you suspect might find managing the heat difficult. Knowing there is someone to call on is always a good thing!

Also a reminder about the QR code and participant survey running this week. We’d love you to complete it if you can.

See the details in the post below.

Wishing you a great week. Hope to see you here - despite the heat.

Leanne

Hi all, a reminder that if you come to ACC we’d really appreciate if you could fill out our participant survey this week. Just click here.

Alternatively, you can scan the QR code below. Or you can complete a hard copy in the office … but ONLINE IS BEST.

The survey is about what you do at ACC, why you come along and how attending ACC makes you feel - particularly in relation to community connections.

Thanks so much for taking the time!

Our annual Christmas Makers Market is coming up next weekend on Saturday 23rd of November.

It looks like the weather will be nice … and the amazing makers will have so many options on offer. This is a great opportunity to get cracking with your Christmas shopping and spoil family and friends with unique gifts.

• Jan the Tea Lady will be here - with her home crafted blends to lift spirits and soothe ailments.

• There are several options to find the perfect piece of jewellery for someone special. Hand crafted Sterling Silver pieces from both Rita and Lee. Jeanie and Ella are also offering jewellery and accessories.

• There will be hand crafted toys for little ones as well as fun accessories, handmade playdough, bath bombs, tote bags, felt items, printed textiles, paintings, silk scarves, pin cushions, device bags, lavendar bags and Betty’s cookbook too!

• The CWA will also have a stall with the many wonderful things they make and bake.

• We’ll have a range of baked goods, preserves, chutneys and curry sauces available for the foodies.

• There are also stalls supporting volunteers - local groups like Friends of Darebin Parklands and stalls that send their sales to support charities overseas.

• There will be a sausage sizzle going, supported by the wonderful volunteers from the Rotary of Ivanhoe and Friends of Baucau coffee (using our coffee machine) inside …

• We’ll also have hand printed Christmas Cards and wrapping paper for purchase - to get your gifts ready to put under the tree or deliver to friends and family.

Come along on Saturday 23rd of November from 11am - 2pm.

Please note not all stalls will have tap and go so bring some cash if you can.