{"id":6809,"date":"2020-06-03T07:06:15","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T07:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=6809"},"modified":"2020-06-03T07:06:15","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T07:06:15","slug":"want-to-help-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-this-app-is-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2020\/06\/03\/want-to-help-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-this-app-is-how\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to help during the COVID-19 pandemic? This app is how"},"content":{"rendered":"

An app that allows everyday people to help local businesses struggling\u00a0through\u00a0the\u00a0COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0has been launched today.
\n\u2018Lean\u00a0In\u00a0Newy\u2019\u00a0connects organisations\u00a0that\u00a0need support,\u00a0with people wanting\u00a0to help, while\u00a0providing added encouragement through\u00a0$50,000 in\u00a0vouchers and discounts\u00a0redeemable at\u00a0local businesses.
\nLord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes\u00a0said\u00a0Novocastrians\u00a0have been\u00a0brimming with community spirit in response to COVID-19\u00a0and Lean\u00a0In\u00a0Newy\u00a0would\u00a0direct\u00a0people\u2019s desire to help where it\u2019s most needed.
\n\u201cCOVID-19\u00a0has had\u00a0an unprecedented effect on our community, with\u00a0older people experiencing increased isolation\u00a0and\u00a0businesses\u00a0suffering a downturn in trade,\u00a0while\u00a0other\u00a0people\u00a0have\u00a0found\u00a0themselves suddenly with\u00a0more time on their hands,\u201d the Lord Mayor said.
\n\u201cWe have been\u00a0hearing from many people in the community\u00a0wanting to help but not knowing how. Lean\u00a0In\u00a0Newy\u00a0is the answer to\u00a0those asking, \u2018How can I help?\u2019.
\n\u201cCharitable organisations like\u00a0OzHarvest, Dog Rescue Newcastle and Take 3 For\u00a0The\u00a0Sea\u00a0have\u00a0registered\u00a0with Lean\u00a0In\u00a0Newy\u00a0to put out a call for volunteering opportunities, and those\u00a0who put their hand up will be rewarded with incentives like\u00a0a free coffee at a local caf\u00e9.
\n\u201cThere are already\u00a023 businesses and 11 not-for-profits\u00a0signed up,\u00a0with more in talks,\u00a0and City of Newcastle is funding the\u00a0discounts or incentives offered through businesses\u00a0during the COVID-19 recovery phase.
\n\u201cLean\u00a0In\u00a0Newy\u00a0is a fantastic way for us to play our part\u00a0in helping local businesses and community organisations get back on their feet.\u201d
\nFamily Support Newcastle\u00a0is\u00a0one of those community organisations.\u00a0CEO Sue Hellier said the organisation\u2019s role in promoting the wellbeing of children and their families, individuals and communities was more vital than ever\u00a0in light of\u00a0recent hardship caused by COVID-19.
\n\u201cMany of our activity groups and face-to-face support services have been impacted by COVID-19, but our mission remains the same.\u00a0There are still ways the community can assist, like\u00a0purchasing items and\u00a0assembling kids\u2019 activity\u00a0or\u00a0sanitisation\u00a0packs at home and dropping them off at our Waratah centre,\u201d Ms Hellier said.
\n\u201cLean\u00a0In\u00a0Newy\u00a0will be a great help for organisations like us that need more support during this challenging time, and we\u2019re very thankful to City of Newcastle for\u00a0developing\u00a0this initiative.\u201d
\n\"Lean-In-Newy-(1).jpg\"(L-R): Family Support Newcastle CEO Sue Hellier, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Zebra Finch owner Kate McNally assemble kids’ activity packs.<\/sup><\/strong>
\nLikewise, local business owner Kate McNally, who operates Zebra Finch at\u00a0Marketown\u00a0and Kotara, said she was grateful for the helping hand to encourage customers back to the stores.
\n\u201cAs a small business, we have felt the impacts of COVID-19 closures and social distancing measures quite profoundly,\u00a0with a significant downturn in trade,\u201d Mrs McNally said.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a relief to have the City\u2019s support to help get back on track.\u201d
\nDownload Lean\u00a0In\u00a0Newy\u00a0from the App Store or\u00a0Google Play or\u00a0visit\u00a0leaninnewy.com.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An app that allows everyday people to help local businesses struggling\u00a0through\u00a0the\u00a0COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0has been launched today. \u2018Lean\u00a0In\u00a0Newy\u2019\u00a0connects organisations\u00a0that\u00a0need support,\u00a0with people wanting\u00a0to help, while\u00a0providing added encouragement through\u00a0$50,000 in\u00a0vouchers and discounts\u00a0redeemable at\u00a0local businesses. Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes\u00a0said\u00a0Novocastrians\u00a0have been\u00a0brimming with community spirit in response to COVID-19\u00a0and Lean\u00a0In\u00a0Newy\u00a0would\u00a0direct\u00a0people\u2019s desire to help where it\u2019s most needed. \u201cCOVID-19\u00a0has had\u00a0an unprecedented effect on … Continue reading “Want to help during the COVID-19 pandemic? This app is how”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newcastle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6809\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}