Our Guest Speaker for the evening was our very own recently returned home Exchange Student Oliver Ellis

From what he told us we gathered that certainly enjoyed his year away while exposed to a completely different culture. He found schooling a bit challenge particular because the teachers were not particularly used to dealing with a non Portuguese speaking student. However he was able to make new friends both locals and other exchange students. The 18 year old Girls from the USA according to Oliver we quite keen to “mother” him. To visit neighbouring cities with his friends was some thing he obviously enjoyed. One highlight was his trip down the Amazon River.

It was a mind blowing trip for those of us that went last Saturday

To see the hectares of the goods that have been collected awaiting shipment and the smooth operations that makes it all happen left us all overwhelmed.

Pictures are best to describe what we saw - in this case they are worth a million words so click here to see some.

Thanks Harry Z for organising the day and a special thanks to Trudy for providing a magnificent lunch.

Rotary Donations in Kind is a volunteer-based recycling facility used to collect and redistribute goods, principally donated by companies, hospitals and educational institutions. The goods it distributes are destined for developing countries and to disadvantaged individuals in the local community. They are distributed through Rotary club projects and the wider NGO network.

All staff in the Store are volunteers, both Rotarians and others. They donate their time to help Rotary clubs with their international service and local community projects. 

How is the Store funded?

The annual cost of operations is $150,000+, mainly for rent and warehouse overhead. While this expense is a significant sum, it represents just 1.6% of turnover. The majority of support comes from Rotary clubs with a small contribution from other charitable organisations who use the store.

DIK increasingly relies on donor organisations that provide the goods to become partners and to contribute some of the funds that they are saving in disposal costs, (e.g.. transport and waste charges,)  towards transportation costs.

From where are the goods collected?

DIK West Footscray receive and collect goods in Melbourne and some locations in regional Victoria. There are additional DIK stores in Geelong and most capital cities. DIK relies on Rotary clubs to identify where goods are available for donation in their area and to coordinate collection of suitable material.

DIK provides a volunteer-run limited pick-up service for larger quantities in the Melbourne metropolitan area and will collect goods by prior arrangement. Smaller quantities should be delivered to the Store by the donor or a Rotary Club.

How are the goods distributed?

A significant amount of unallocated goods are available for Rotary club projects. For international projects, Rotary clubs determine the needs, establish the specific country importation requirements and fund the transport and delivery costs. For local projects, goods are distributed by Rotary clubs on an as-needed basis. Surplus goods may also be available for community service organisations who share similar goals.