OUTSIDE THE BOX | 13
Fort Knox. Helping put an end to youth. homelessness.
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s the sun goes down and the mist slowly rolls in over the pitch there is a humble sense of achievement drifting through the concrete concourse of our iconic MCG. While in the background there is a slight buzzing noise resonating from the heat lamps, over the hallowed turf, the silence is deafening, only broken by intermittent snoring, far from the usual chanting of the crowds. It’s Melbourne City Mission’s (MCM) annual Sleep At The G event. Yes, it’s cold, yes it’s uncomfortable, and yes it’s a sleepless night, well for some of us, but this is a harsh reality for more than 6000 kids every night on our streets in Melbourne. How is this possible in one of the world’s most liveable cities? On Thursday, 16 May 2019, 10 of our own incredible storage experts, together with 1938 other Melburnians, gave up the comforts of their beds and braved the cold in a quest to raise awareness and help put an end to youth homelessness. While the thought of sleeping at the G isn’t for anyone, I am amazed and humbled at the generosity of our storage industry partners who sponsored our team by donating $1783.35, which was a significant amount towards our total $12,829.31 raised. Massive shout out and many thanks to those who supported us; we are very lucky to have such a supportive industry. On the night our team worked tirelessly in building an arch and personally welcoming and handing out the 2250 “beds” (Fort Knox Big Boxes) to all sleepers on the night.
www.selfstorage.org.au
And while we originally partnered with MCM purely to raise awareness and support for the homeless, this event has become an astronomical marketing and branding campaign, far greater than we could have ever managed. Our Fort Knox boxes featured on Nine news with Olivia Nixon crossing over from the G for the weather report. Our boxes are the star highlight for thousands of social posts, pictures, videos and have been shared through twitter, Facebook, Instagram, television and across numerous other local media avenues. Our participation has had a huge effect on our team by increasing morale and comradery, which in the colder, quieter months can be low. And while the temperature plummeted and the cold night air set in the spirits of the sleepers soared as the fundraising dollars rose with the event raising $1,191,252 for the disadvantaged youth homeless. And while the night gives us a slight insight into the life of the homeless it wasn’t until I got home and stood under the hot water of my shower that it hit me. The homeless don’t have the privilege of a hot shower, a warm bed, hot coffee nor a substantial meal, the things we take for granted each day. My heart sunk at the reality, and I was saddened to think this is happening in our community. Listening to some of the youth homeless tell their story has really changed the way I see them. For these kids they feel almost
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019 INSIDER 108
