Fremantle Ports employees supporting COVID-19 relief and native animals

Fremantle Ports employees volunteering at Native ARC

Fremantle Ports employees will be supporting two charities through payroll donations in the 2020-21 financial year: the Fremantle Foundation’s new WA COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund, and Native ARC (Animal Rehabilitation Centre).

Fremantle Ports CEO Chris Leatt-Hayter said each year employees were given the opportunity to contribute to two charities of their choosing through payroll deductions.

"The WAVE (Workplace Altruism Volunteering Employee) Program enables staff to volunteer and donate to charities to make a collective difference in our community.

“The workplace philanthropy program is completely voluntary and over six years it has been enthusiastically taken up by our people,” he said.

“Fremantle Ports matches funds raised up to $10,000 and employees are also given opportunities during the year to volunteer at a number of different charities during work time.

Through its corporate Community Investment Program, Fremantle Ports has supported the Fremantle Foundation since it was established and has supported its Impact 100 program since it was introduced.

Sue Stepatschuk, Executive Officer of the Fremantle Foundation, said the Foundation’s newly established COVID-19 support fund would provide a central resource to distribute charitable dollars.

“It is designed to be flexible in order to quickly help the non-profits that are providing vital services during this crisis and in recovery beyond,” she said. “Funds will be directed into financial support, food and housing, social support and health services for the homeless, Indigenous Australians, low-income families, seniors and artists and arts organisations hit hard during the crisis.”

Chris Leatt-Hayter said employees obviously valued the work done by Native ARC as they had chosen the charity for a second time and the Bibra Lake centre had proven popular as a place to volunteer.

“We also call on their help when any of our staff find injured birds or other native wildlife.”

Native ARC provides medical care and rehabilitation for more than 4000 injured, sick and orphaned native wildlife each year.

Staff donations will go towards costs associated with running the wildlife hospital (the first and only wildlife veterinary hospital in WA), funding wildlife rehabilitation programs, building and maintaining wildlife enclosures and funding general animal husbandry needs such as food and enrichment.

The 2019-20 WAVE charities, the Freo Street Doctor and Guide Dogs WA, received $9618 and $8474 respectively ($17,792 in total).

Staff participated in several successful volunteering days to support organisations such as Native ARC, the Fremantle Biennale, Clean Up Australia Day 2020 and Sculptures at Bathers 2020.

Fremantle Ports volunteers helping Bruce Abbott build the Seawall Bunker installation at Sculptures at Bathers 2020

WAVE volunteers also coordinated ‘Winter Warmer’ and toiletry drives for Freo Street Doctor and continued the tradition of packing and donating Christmas food hampers for St Patrick’s Community Support Centre.

Christmas food hampers for St Patrick’s Community Support Centre

In 2018-19, Native ARC (Animal Rehabilitation Centre) and the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation received more than $19,400 in total from employee donations and Fremantle Ports.