Photos: CRN, S.Fantov
After several years of pause due to the pandemic, the Croatian Riders Network (CRN) has revived its traditional charity initiative, the “CRN Jack Jakupec Memorial Blanket Drive,” aimed at collecting blankets for the people experiencing homelessness in Melbourne. First held in 2010, this meaningful initiative has been carried out by CRN members whenever circumstances allowed.
CRN leader Ante Kasić recalled how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the usual rhythm of the campaign:
“Life was turned upside down. We couldn’t continue with our plans, and several years passed without any blanket collections.”
This year, however, at the beginning of May, the group decided to revive this important humanitarian tradition.
The campaign was promoted through Hrvatski vjesnik, Croatian radio programs, and within Croatian Catholic Centres. However, Kasić noted that the announcements unfortunately didn’t reach the Springvale and Sunshine centres—possibly due to a change of priests. Still, the Croatian Catholic Community in Clifton Hill, local radio programs, and social media played a crucial role in spreading the word.
Initial response was discouraging, with not a single individual contacting the group to donate blankets. But by the end of May, things began to turn around. A CRN member brought in several blankets collected by friends, followed by a substantial number of donations arriving at the Croatian Home in Geelong, the Croatian Catholic Community Clifton Hill, and from the Croatian Adventist Church in St Albans.
“It seems the announcers encouraged people to bring blankets directly to the centres, which made our job much easier,” said Kasić.
Each blanket delivers comfort, dignity, and a message of hope
In the end, a good number of blankets were collected—many of them clean and even brand new. As is often the case, a small number had to be discarded due to being soiled or unsuitable.
“Unfortunately, some people seem to think the people experiencing homelessness should be satisfied with anything,” Kasić added. By the end of May, all the blankets had been sorted, checked, folded, packed in plastic bags, and labelled with a message, for example:
“Queen Blanket, Compliments of Croatian Community, God Bless.”
This label served a threefold purpose: to help with distribution, to promote the image of the Croatian community, and to share the word of God.
On Wednesday, 4 June, six CRN members loaded up two pick ups with blankets and headed to Father Bob’s Foundation in South Melbourne, a well-known charity supporting the people experiencing homelessness year-round. Although they had originally planned a motorcycle escort to mark the occasion, poor weather forecasts prompted a change of plan—organisers didn’t want the homeless to wait in the cold just so they could have a ride.
The foundation’s manager, Paul “Father Paul” Brophy, warmly welcomed the group and expressed great appreciation for both the organisation and the number of blankets delivered. After unloading, CRN members were given a quick tour of the centre and a deeper insight into its work.
“Another mission accomplished,” Kasić concluded.
“Huge thanks to all Croatians and friends who donated blankets, and to all those who helped spread the word—we couldn’t have done it without you. A big thank you to the CRN members that helped with the effort.”
