Power-house fundraiser Natalie Tanchevski has a bold plan to help a lot of people without much at Christmas. Want to help, asks “Mummy” columnist KATE MEIKLE.

“NEVER pass by the Salvation Army without donating to them,” was the sage advice that my husband’s granny, the much loved Dollie Anderson, used to frequently tell us. 

It was just something everyone in the family, myself included, did – we heard Dollie’s words in our ears as we passed any of the Salvation Army collectors at the shops. And trust me, you didn’t want to disobey the matriarch! 

It’s undeniable that the Salvos play an important role in helping people in need, especially at this time of year. 

Their legacy of supporting our family extends back to the 1940s. Dollie’s husband, Alec, served in New Guinea in World War II. Under the constant fear of being killed, at rest times, the Salvation Army used to help the soldiers with a cup of tea and chocolate. 

Although Alec never talked much about the war, the little acts of kindness that the Salvation Army gave to him made a great impact and it was this little story that became part of the family folklore. 

After he passed away, Dollie drummed it into everyone that we must never walk past the Salvos. 

It was a lovely coincidence when I recently met super-mum and power-house fundraiser, Natalie Tanchevski, who has singlehandedly created a Christmas fundraiser called “Hundreds for Thousands”. 

She, too, is one of those people who instinctively gives her change to the Salvos.

“It’s just something I have always done,” she says. 

“I’ve always stopped and donated. I felt the need to give to the Salvation Army.” 

As a mother of three, Natalie says that it’s horrible for her to contemplate that parents in our community struggle to put food on the table for their children.
Last year, she was inspired to fundraise 100 grocery gift cards worth $100 each to help supplement the support the Salvos give those in need over Christmas. 

She determinedly raised funds through her network of contacts and friends and smashed her target – handing over $16,500 in $100 gift vouchers to the grateful Salvos at her local centre in Gungahlin.

This year, Natalie has set the lofty goal of raising funds to support 1000 families across the community at 10 Salvos centres, including Yass, Cooma, Goulburn and Queanbeyan. 

“Canberra is a generous community and I hope the generosity will flow across the border,” she says. 

“Through the website, people can choose which Salvos they donate to so they can support on a local, suburban level.” 

“You never know, you could be helping out a neighbour who is having a hard time,” she says. 

“I feel a personal responsibility to not let these families down, so I encourage people to give whatever they can to support the fundraiser. Especially after this year, we need to look after those in our community doing it tough.” 

Natalie told me how proud she is of how her kids have embraced the fundraising efforts and learnt a lot about generosity and helping others in the process. 

She says her kids have recently cleaned out their old toys and donated them to the Salvos. As Christmas approaches (and my kids’ Christmas lists start to get longer by the day), it’s these sorts of lessons of teaching little ones to be community-minded that really resonate with me. 

After the popular children’s TV show “Bluey” recently aired an episode showing Bluey and Bingo working out which toys they would donate to “needy kids” – I also managed to get my two to do the same! It feels good to give and I want my kids to learn this as early as possible. 

Granny Dollie would be proud. 

“CityNews” is proud to support “Hundreds for Thousands”. Donate at hundredsforthousands.salvationarmy.org.au