Warragul Rotary Club member Anthea Dacy spoke to club members about the important and impressive work of Rotary’s Donations-In-Kind (DIK) program.
DIK is a recycling operation run by Rotary that specialises in collecting reusable goods that are then donated to worthwhile Rotary projects primarily in overseas countries.
DIK is run by volunteers who gather the goods and equipment that organisations, businesses and the public no longer require and working with Rotary Clubs, give them to people in genuine need for free. For example DIK is currently negotiating the donation of 700 hospital beds from the South Australian government that will then be available to go to hospitals supported by Rotary club projects in countries in the South Pacific area.
DIK is Rotary Australia’s largest ongoing project. In Victoria there are warehouses in West Footscray and Geelong. The Rotary Club of Warragul through Rotary District 9820 supports the West Footscray warehouse.
Over its fifteen years of existence the West Footscray warehouse donated overseas 455 shipping containers of goods and equipment with an estimated value of $43.5m. The volunteer labour input is estimated at $3.8m.
The Rotary Club of Warragul has drawn on DIK goods and equipment to support several club projects in Vanuatu and has made a financial donation to support the costs of running the Footscray warehouse.
For more information on DIK go to - http://www.rotarydik.org/