Beechworth Boomerang Bags
How long have you been operating for? Since 2017
Where are you located? Upstairs at the Star Hotel Building (Ford Street, Beechworth)
Tell us about the types of work you do: We reached our goal of more than 20 thousand bags by 2020 to replace one use plastic bags with volunteers putting in 13,704 volunteer hours to achieve this milestone. In 2020 - 21 we attended the NECMA conference in Albury with a promotion table, and provided bags for all 200 conference attendees for their material. Beechworth Boomerang Bags members packed Bush Fire Relief boxes for 2 days in Wodonga and supplied 140 Fire Relief Toiletry Bags to Corryong, 60 COVID19 Laundry Bags for the medical/carers staff at the Beechworth Health Service, and made hand splints for Beechworth Health clients.
We coordinated and supplied a request from Wodonga Aboriginal Network to supply 1000 bags to be donated across the North East for COVID19 info packs with the help of other Boomerang Bag Groups in our area. We made and prepared 460 Produce and 20 Boomerang Bags, sourced and collected inclusions for 2021 Australian Tidy Towns event while continuing to supply bags to 8 businesses in town.
Tell us about how important volunteers are to your work: As Boomerang Bags across the world solely consist of volunteers, we would not exist without our volunteers. The life of Boomerang Bags is our volunteers! Every day, all over the world, beautiful people are offering their time in service. Kids, teens, dads, grandmas… you name it. We are so grateful for the endless support we receive from the community, and welcome everyone to join in our efforts to create a plastic-wise future!
What types of tasks do you need more volunteers for? We need lovely people to offer their services to cut our bags in bulk. We meet once a week to make the bags. You do not have to be sewers, but if you would like to learn to sew or over-lock we can teach you the basics. We are looking for people to iron, screen print and others to just come along to enjoy our company, have a cuppa and a biscuit.
What is the best way for someone to get in touch if they'd like to volunteer with you? Contact Secretary Iris Mannik 0357282774, mobile 0457431933 or email beechworthboomerangbags@gmail.com