The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal launched to support local multicultural communities around Australia

The Salvation Army’s annual Red Shield Appeal to multicultural audiences was formally launched in the presence of media leaders, community and business leaders on 17th May 2022. The Appeal, now in its 58^th year, aims to raise $36 million to support needy people around Australia, including multicultural communities.

Commenting on the launch, Former NSW Opposition Leader and Former Cabinet Minister Jodi McKay said: “Multicultural and diverse communities in Australia are vital to the economic and social fabric of our society. We are proud of our multicultural country and the contributions of Australians of all backgrounds. I am honoured to launch The Salvation Army’s annual Red Shield Appeal for 2022 to multicultural communities across Australia. The Salvation Army offers tremendous support to all people without discrimination, and I encourage multicultural audiences to give back.”

“The Salvation Army has stood alongside people from all cultures, nationalities and backgrounds since we began work in Australia over 140 years ago. We are proud to do the work we do with people without discrimination or prejudice, and we are passionate about the local community,” said Captain Tara McGuigan, The Salvation Army’s Relationship Manager for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities.

As part of their continued work within multicultural communities, The Salvation Army hosted a Red Shield Appeal Multicultural Launch Event alongside long-time partners MultiConnexions, Australia’s leading multicultural marketing and advertising agency.

CEO of MultiConnexions Sheba Nandkeolyar said: “We have supported the valuable work of The Salvation Army especially in multicultural communities for over 2 decades and we are proud to be supporting this event again this year. The work done by The Salvation Army is diversity-inclusive and they reach out to all audiences including multicultural audiences.”

“The Salvation Army is committed to working alongside multicultural communities across Australia, meeting their needs and supporting them through hardship. We have a number of significant projects and initiatives within multicultural communities across the country, but we cannot do these without the generosity of the public to our Red Shield Appeal,” added Captain McGuigan.

Over the past 12 months, The Salvation Army has supported around 5,800 women and children impacted by family and domestic violence nationally. Each year, through The Salvation Army’s nationwide network of services, around: *

• One person is assisted every 17 seconds.
• Three people are supported every minute.
• Approximately 887,500 crisis beds are provided to people experiencing homelessness – including women and children. Family and domestic violence is the leading cause of women and children becoming homeless in Australia.

To donate to The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal, or if you need support from The Salvation Army, visit salvationarmy.org.au or call 13 SALVOS. You can also donate at any Salvos Store.