Three top Australian charities to promote this winter

Australian charities are the backbone of relief and wellbeing support all across the country.

Tackling issues including mental fitness, loneliness, and unemployment, these three not-for-profit organisations are creating new opportunities for those in need and helping to reduce stigma in the wider community. 

 

 

Gotcha4Life

Gotcha4Life is a not-for-profit foundation providing mental fitness workshops, programs and resources to schools and workplaces across Australia. They are committed to helping Aussies develop the tools they need to stay mentally fit, focusing on emotional adaptability, social connectedness and help-seeking. 

The Mentally Fit Primary Schools Program takes a curriculum-aligned approach to teach young people how to build health habits, delivering workshops and talks in schools across Australia. Gotcha4Life also designs free resources to help educators improve wellbeing in their classrooms, including short videos, calming exercises, art activities and more. 

Gotcha4Life runs interactive talks and workshops that empower individuals in the workplace to build mental fitness. This includes keynote presentations, and workshops delivered by expert partners. The Tomorrow Woman workshop is all about empowering girls and women with tools to share their voice and develop confidence. 

The Mental Fitness Gym App is a new tool allowing access to wellbeing support anywhere, anytime. It provides more than 100 mental fitness exercises, personalised exercise suggestions, and structured workouts to build healthy habits. The free app was designed alongside mental health experts, making it a robust and impactful tool. 

In 2024 alone, Gotcha4Life delivered more than 2500 workshops to 103,694 participants. This included a high percentage of young people, and people in regional and remote communities. After completing a Gotcha4Life session, 83 percent of participants felt their life was positively impacted. 

 

 

Happy Paws Happy Hearts

Happy Paws Happy Hearts seeks to connect socially isolated people with shelter animals to help them overcome physical and emotional loneliness and develop a new outlook on life.

In Australia alone, 1.1 million people report experiencing social isolation or exclusion. At RSPCA, over 124,000 animals are waiting for adoption every year. Seeking to address both of these problems, Happy Paws Happy Hearts works with animal shelters across the country to deliver in-shelter and online programs that teach vulnerable people how to care for and train rescue animals. 

Each week, they work with almost 500 participants across eight locations all over the country. The In-Shelter Programs allow participants to build trust and connect with a range of shelter animals, including dogs, cats, wildlife and farm animals. Individuals build confidence, social connection and a sense of purpose by interacting with animals and staff, while the shelter animals benefit from positive reinforcement-based training and learn important socialisation skills.

The HPHH Online Program is a virtual tool teaching participants about the basics of animal behaviour through activities, quizzes and videos. Each term focuses on a different aspect of the Animal Care Industry, and participants are encouraged to join weekly livestream sessions where they meet rescue shelter animals and trainers. 

Since launching in 2015, Happy Paws Happy Hearts has generated more than 229,000 hours of social connection and over 83,880 hours of animal training. This year, the charity is celebrating 10 years of support, continuing with its mission to provide animals with important human interaction, and isolated individuals with connection and improved wellbeing. ”

 

 

Meals With Impact 

Meals With Impact is a not-for-profit helping women from migrant and refugee backgrounds to find employment through a love of food. 

The organisation follows a ‘paid to work’ model, offering disadvantaged women an opportunity to learn essential employment skills over the course of a 3 to 6 month program. During this program, women from refugee or migrant backgrounds help Meals With Impact to design and cook culturally appropriate foods for catering services and events, as well as working in its cafe. 

Meals With Impact runs a Food and Community Hub in Melbourne, where customers can purchase hot meals, salads, sandwiches and sweets inspired or created by recipes from the team. The cafe is supported by women from the employment program, and all proceeds are reinvested in this social enterprise to fund training and support. 

The corporate volunteering program is a great way to learn about food insecurity in Australia. Company members from major Australian businesses are invited to prepare and pack meals for food relief, which are then donated to local charities and organisations in need. 

Over the last two years, Meals With Impact has donated 31,174 meals and employed 40 refugee and migrant women, with much more to come. 

Loving learning about these Australian charities? To read about the First Nations toilet paper company helping rural kids, click here.