28/10/2026
🏆 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞! 💚
We’re delighted to share that, through a combined effort including our 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡''𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦, over 100 local people facing severe hardship now have a clean, comfortable mattress to sleep on. 💚
For families rebuilding after family violence, people moving out of homelessness and refugees settling into a new home, a safe place to sleep can make a real difference.
On Wednesday, 14 October, the 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 won the 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 for the 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 & 𝐍𝐞𝐭 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 category. This is the 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞! 🏆
Our Community Engagement Manager, Chelsea Deacon, joined Ron from Nunawading Megamile, Dani and Erica from Whitehorse City Council, and Susan from Suspire Digital to accept the award on behalf of the project team.
The project brought together 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞 retailers (including Snooze Nunawading, Forty Winks and Bedshed Nunawading), 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 and 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 to rescue mattresses destined for landfill.
With specialised sterilisation equipment funded through our grants program, the mattresses were cleaned and prepared, then delivered to local homes through the Eastern Emergency Relief Network (EERN).
Together, this partnership has:
🏡 Rehomed 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 with people in need.
🌏 Diverted 𝟑,𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐤𝐠 of waste from landfill.
💚 Provided 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧, 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 to those navigating their hardest days.
We’re proud to see this local initiative recognised nationally. Congratulations to everyone involved in this meaningful community effort! 👏
