“A lot of my wife’s childhood was spent growing up with her grandmother in Vietnam and this is where she first formed her compassion towards elderly people. After moving to Australia to study and seeing how the government and NFP’s look after disadvantaged people here, she knew that she definitely wanted to get involved. So, she decided to enrol in a Masters of social work after completing her first Masters in Marketing. She is now a proud government employee working in social work.
“Since the COVID epidemic we’ve been hearing about how the elderly demographic are more vulnerable to the virus. This brought out more of Kelly’s compassion for the elderly community and her need to help. So, she convinced me to start up a business to supply good quality face masks to the elderly and people in need. We thought we couldn’t do this alone so we started the initiative of donating one for every face mask purchased and that’s how our company ‘Good Deed Face Masks’ was born.
“It took Kelly weeks to do her research on where she can source good quality face masks at an affordable price. Besides working full time for the government, she spent nights and weekends on the business, working closely with the suppliers to ensure the masks are up to standard. It’s been tiring but rewarding.
“We have had the great opportunity to collaborate with local NFP organisations and so far we have donated 200 masks to the Bellarine Salvation Army outreach van https://www.facebook.com/bellarinesalvooutreachvan, 200 to Feed Me Bellarine https://www.facebook.com/feedmebellarine and 200 to the Geelong RSL wellbeing program. But so far, we haven’t been able to engage with the part of the community that was the driving force behind this project. We have contacted a few aged care and in home care facilities and support services. However, due to government regulations they were unable to accept reusable masks.
“We are eager to distribute 1000 masks to elderly people in need. Although we haven’t had that many sales, we thought we needed to do something when we saw elderly people walking in town wearing a torn single use face mask as if it’s been worn multiple times. When you think about your parents and grandparents, think about them wearing these masks and the impact it may have on their health. If you know any elderly in need of a resuable mask, please reach out to us via Facebook or email gooddeedfacemasks@gmail.com.
“If you would like to support a local business and love our initiative, check out our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Good-Deed-Face-Masks-100259015119351 or head over to our website https://gdfm.company.site/ and check out our latest range of face masks. We need your support to keep this initiative alive. We would also love to partner with any local businesses who want to support our cause.
“For every mask purchased, you indirectly donate a mask to people in need. These people could be your parents, your family or any friend who can’t afford to buy a mask.
“SPREAD THE WORD. Together we can make a difference and our community will thrive.”
Hayden McFadyen. Photo: Supplied
HuG 