An Adelaide charity has been asked to quickly depart its warehouse home, leaving volunteers fearful the organisation’s 50-year-history could come to an abrupt end.
South Pacific School Aid collects books no longer needed by South Australian schools, then sends tens of thousands a year to schools in the South Pacific Islands and remote Indigenous schools in South Australia.
For the past eight years, the volunteer-run charity has run on a shoestring budget out of an Underdale warehouse space, generously offered rent-free by the landlords.
But volunteers have been told the arrangement finishes at the end of August as new owners take over the building – sparking a desperate search for a similar free or cheap space.
Chairman Marco Di Girolamo, 66, said the charity’s limited funds – raised at market stalls and from donations – were spent on about 60 pallets of books a year, which cost $700 to $900 each to ship.
“Our fundraising hasn’t been geared towards raising money for rent,” he said.
“We do have funds, some which have been from bequests and so on, but to rent a warehouse that size, even in the outer suburbs … would soon go through all our savings in a couple of years.”
“This could be a death knell for us, if suitable warehousing can’t be found.”
The retired medical scientist said packing up and relocating the books from the present warehouse would also be stressful.
With a laugh, he explained: “Most of us are retirees, so we’re not very active, moving-wise.”
Mr Di Girolamo said the group of 20 to 25 volunteers was hopeful a spot could be shared with another charity – but nothing suitable had yet been found.