Hello!

13 Comments

A Young boys amazing attempt to help keep homeless Tassie’s warm this winter.

10-year-old, Oliver Edwards, has come up with an idea to help the growing homelessness issue in Hobart.

The Free On A Tree initiative has been warmly welcomed by people who have experienced homelessness and charity organisations, reports ABC news.

Oliver said the idea was simple, sparked by the flooding which hit Hobart in May when the record for rainfall in a 24-hour period was doubled.

He was given a homework challenge that asked him to come up with a way to help his community.

“I heard about the floods and the people that were camping at the Showgrounds,” he said.

“I thought of Free On A Tree and I talked with mum about it and she thought it was a good idea.

“We put coats on trees and then people [who] need them and are cold can take them,” he said.

He and his mother Cathy Edwards have set up donation points at various locations where people can drop their second-hand coats, and then they will be picked up and hung on trees in public spaces around the city.

Once the coat has been strung up, Oliver puts a sticker on them that says: “If you need this, it’s yours”.

“I hope that people [who] need the coats will take them,” he said.

Oliver and his mum have hung about 40 coats on trees around Hobart so far. Their goal is to distribute 100 coats in June.

They hope the community will take up the Free On A Tree initiative and it will continue to grow.

What an awesome initiative. Well done, Oliver.

Share your comments below.

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
  • Oliver is a special person to care about others like this. His Mum is wonderful to help him on his mission. Lovely to have a good news story like this.

    Reply

  • What a fantastic initiative from a young man. Good on him and his caring mum

    Reply

  • What a great initiative, beautiful !

    Reply

  • More people should be like Oliver,an amazing boy!

    Reply

  • What an awesome idea. Well done Oliver

    I have a friend whos daughter is doing a stock drive for the homeless up in QLD. These are the type of kids that are our future

    Reply

  • Such a great attitude but lots of research has been done showing this doesn’t wotk. Hopefully someone can work with him to channel all that generosity.

    Reply

  • This is a good idea and I hope te coats reach those who need them.

    Reply

  • Bless this boy for his efforts…but I do have a problem about them being left out in the weather.
    Do the salvo stores and vinnies etc still give out free clothes to the homeless?

    Reply

  • That’s a very sweet idea. I’m sure this way they are helping a lot of people through the winter. Quite unique!!

    Reply

  • Such a beautiful thing to do. His parents should be proud

    Reply

  • Well done Oliver. Good things will come your way because of your kindness.

    Reply

  • Maybe leave them under a sheltered area would be the best idea and a small cosy blanket. Such a smart generous idea that boy thought of, I hope someone that really needs it finds one of his jackets.

    Reply

  • Great idea but I wonder how many will be taken by those in genuine need? And a bit of a worry leaving them out in the weather too……wet clothes are no good for anyone

    Reply

Post a comment
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your comment and join MoM:

You May Like

Loading…

Looks like this may be blocked by your browser or content filtering.

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join