We are grateful to all donors who gave generously during our Winter Appeal in support of the homeless and disadvantaged members of our community.  Your donation enabled us to provide funds to purchase blankets, hot meals, coffee, tea and drinks to those in need.

We wish to thank the 600 guests who attended the Italian-Australian Community Charity Lunch on Sunday, 5 March 2023, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of our Charity's founder, Father Atanasio Gonelli OFM Cap.  More than $85,000 was raised at this event.  The 2023 grants were presented to Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Muscular Dystrophy NSW, and Foundation for a Bloody Great Cause (Concord Cancer Centre).  A big thank you also to the 310 people who were unable to attend but donated the cost of their ticket.  We would also like to thank our Charity's sponsors and the Navarra family, owners of the Le Montage function centre, for their support of the 2023 Italian-Australian Community Charity Lunch.  To date, our Charity has funded over 100 projects and provided over $600,000 of financial assistance to organisations and individuals.  To read our Charity's 2023 Community Report, please click here.  If you wish to view photos from this event, please visit our Facebook page.

We wish to thank the 500 guests who attended our 10th Anniversary Charity Lunch on Sunday, 10 July.  More than $60,000 was raised.  Grants were presented to the Foundation For A Bloody Great Cause (the Concord Cancer Centre) and awarded to two Italian language teachers scholarship recipients.  A big thank you to all our sponsors and to the Navarra family, the owners of the Le Montage function centre, for their support of the 2022 Italian-Australian Community Charity Lunch.  To date, our Charity has provided over $500,000 of financial assistance to organisations and individuals.  To read our Charity's 10th Anniversary Community Report, click here.

On Sunday, 20 February 2022, our community came together to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the death of our Charity’s founder, Fr Atanasio Gonelli OFM Cap. You may ask, why are Masses celebrated for the dead? We find one answer in the autobiography of St Augustine, where he relates this episode: his mother, St Monica, before dying, had recommended to him “Bury this body of mine wherever you want, without giving your pain. I beg you for one thing – remember me wherever you are, before the altar of the Lord”. The commemoration Mass for Fr Atanasio was attended by hundreds of faithful at St Fiacre’s Parish, Leichhardt. Photo: Board Members of our Charity with Fr Severino. From left: Fausto Biviano, Gaetano Bonfante, Bruno Buttini, Christian Bracci, Filippo Navarra, Riccardo Montrone, Ivana Smaniotto, Natasha Liotta, Fr Severino Bustamante, Frank Placanica, Domenico Sanni, Frank Mirabito and Felice Montrone.

During the difficult years of the pandemic, many individuals and families were affected by COVID-19, finding themselves in difficulty.  We are pleased to have been able to help the community. On Sunday, 9 January 2022, in the courtyard of St Fiacre’s Parish, Leichhardt, we distributed free of charge, over 1,000 single rapid antigen test kits. We would to thank Multicultural NSW, who provided a grant to our Charity, supporting our Charity’s “Empowering & Supporting Local Communities Program”, which allowed us to provide the free rapid antigen test kits, emergency rental assistance and food grocery vouchers to families and unemployed young men and women at risk, and other assistance. A heartfelt thank you to the volunteers from the GIA Network (Giovani Italiani Australiani Network), who are continuously on the frontline with our Charity, delivering assistance to our community.

We wish to thank the 500 guests who attended our Charity Lunch on Sunday, 7 March.  More than $60,000 was raised.  Grants were presented to St Vincent’s Hospital Tierney House and to the GIA Network Inc (an Italian-Australian youth association).  Grants were also awarded to two Italian language teachers scholarship recipients.  A big thank you to all our sponsors and to the Navarra family, the owners of the Le Montage function centre, for their support of the 2021 Italian-Australian Community Charity Lunch.  To date, our Charity has provided over $400,000 of financial assistance to organisations and individuals.  To read our Chairman, Felice Montrone’s speech, click here.

We are grateful to our donors for generously donating, allowing our Charity and our partner NOMIT Melbourne, to help 827 young Italian men and women in Australia on temporary visas during the COVID-19 pandemic and who, due to lockdowns, found themselves with no family support, lost their jobs and were left without an income.

To view the Community Report, please click here.

We wish to thank the 550 guests who attended our Charity Lunch on Sunday, 1 March.  More than $70,000 was raised. Grants were presented to the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, the Concord Cancer Centre, and the Condobolin Community Women’s Health Centre.  Grants were also awarded to two Italian language teachers scholarship recipients and to the Catholic Institute of Sydney for a research scholarship.  A big thank you to all of our sponsors and to the Navarra family, the owners of Le Montage function centre, for their support of the 2020 Italian-Australian Community Charity Lunch.  To read our Chairman, Felice Montrone’s speech, click here.

We wish to thank the over 500 guests who attended our Charity Lunch on Sunday, 3 March, which included NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian. More than $50,000 was raised at this event. Donations were presented to the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, the Concord Cancer Centre at Concord Hospital, Dementia Australia Research Foundation and Let’s Get Going. A big thank you to all our sponsors and to the Navarra Family, owners of the Le Montage function centre, for their support of the 2019 Italian-Australian Community Charity Lunch.

We are pleased to have approved a $10,000 grant to Youth Off the Streets and Kids Giving Back, for their program “Cook4Good + Grow”.  This partnership aims to re-engage students with positive community participation during their time of crisis and isolation.  The program will be undertaken during the April to September 2018 school term and will benefit 16 disadvantaged youths, aged 14 to 18.  The program will enable youths at risk to contribute 400+ hours of community services and prepare 1,000 free meals which will be distributed to needy community members, benefiting 8 charities.