Bourke’s Australia Day ambassador Katryna Robinson is the fonder and CEO of Every Little Bit Helps. The charity collects items such as toiletries, sanitary products and make-up for the homeless, asylum seekers and those at women’s refuges.

After visiting the town on Australia Day, Ms Robinson said she decided to give something back.

“I didn’t just want to visit Bourke, meet the lovely people and then walk away without doing something positive for the community,” she said.

She decided to launch an Every Little Bit Helps collection point at the Bourke Community Library. 

Lee Sharpe and the members of the Bourke Country Women’s Association will assist with the sorting and packing of the care packs for the community.

“Some people quite literally have to make a choice between food on the table or a toothbrush. The situation for some is that dire,” Ms Robinson said.

“I’ve never gone a day without a toothbrush in my life, I’m very lucky, but there’s 104,000 Australians who are homeless and the number of people who need support on top of that would be hundreds of thousands so it’s very real for a lot of people to go without a shower or a toothbrush.”

The CEO has called on the community to give their support to the initiative.

“It might not be you that’s in need right now but it’s a very fine line. With drought and high housing prices we can’t all assume that it won’t be us. Certainly domestic violence is in my street, it’s in my suburb, it’s in my neighbourhood, and homelessness can happen to anybody,” Ms Robinson said.

“We’re all three pay cheques away from being homeless. It literally could be anyone.

“It’s very simple to take what you’re already paid for. the hotel toiletries that are at your hotel room are paid for. Take them and drop them in the red bins and do something for someone who needs your support right now, it’s so easy to do.”

Between 600 and 700 care packets are distributed by Every Little Bit Helps every six weeks.