Matt Parkinson is in awe of what has been accomplished and how God has blessed the organisation he leads, MADCOW, a registered charity connected with Bendigo Baptist Church that will soon open a purpose-fitted facility to further extend their work to help combat homelessness. MADCOW stands for Make A Difference, Change Our World –the organisation puts their motto into practice by providing a variety of services to make a positive difference in the lives of those who are most vulnerable in the heart of Bendigo. MADCOW provides for those doing it tough, by delivering cleaning, gardening and community support services to the community. Profits from these services and their op-shop provide finances for their homeless services programs as well as providing employment opportunities for Karen refugees. They also run a youth theatre, playgroups and mentoring programs.
Across Australia, thousands are currently experiencing homelessness. Australia’s Homelessness Week runs from August 4-10 this year, to raise awareness of the impact of homelessness and ways to reduce it.
“Bendigo Baptist started Bendigo Baptist Community Care, AKA MADCOW, in 2008 after asking the question, ‘If we closed our doors tomorrow, would anyone in our community notice?’ Matt says “It’s a great question for any church to ask. When we see God’s heart and our hearts align with His, that’s when things happen. When God sees you trying to understand his heart, things shift. I started at the church a year later and we began to connect with the community and work out ways to help people.”
In 2022, MADCOW bought the building it was operating from, and began the process of refitting it as a “Homeless Hub” through philanthropic grants and community donations. Its two staff members and 30 volunteers are expected to move in later this year, and the Hub will provide the most basic needs to those sleeping rough every night on the streets of Bendigo.
“It has been a lot of work over the years, but God’s provision has been nothing short of a miracle in the lean and the good times – amazing!” Matt says. “The business model started with one three-hour cleaning contract, and it took a long time to build it up to what it is today. The first few staff members were refugees who we trained up and employed.
There were a lot of Karen refugees from southern Myanmar moving into the area at the time. One day, Matt and other MADCOW members were moving furniture into a house when he saw a Karen woman cowering in the corner with her children, afraid of those who were trying to help her family. “That really got my attention – I wanted to do something to care for these people,” Matt says.
“They were really shy and would not give much eye contact, but the transformation within a few months – it’s amazing to watch. We try to give them purpose and an income. We’ve had wonderful staff and there have been lots of growing pains and lots of energy spent over the years.”
Now, MADCOW trains and employs 90 staff and engages 150 volunteers across the organisation. An op shop, youth theatre group and community donations provide funding. Also, a group of bike riders from nearby Epsom Community Church participate in long, sponsored treks known as the MadRide every couple of years to help raise funds for MADCOW. They recently completed their fourth ride, travelling from Townsville to Katherine.
Matt says homelessness is very close to his heart. “My father was a dying alcoholic and I left home at 16, but Dad became a Christian in his late 50s and over time, all of our family members became Christians. We belonged to the Salvation Army and caring for people is at the heart of what they do, so that influenced me a lot and my heart has always been for the voiceless – it’s just where God led me. It is a group that can be hard to love sometimes for whatever reason, language barriers, cultural differences, going through a rough patch – and they have been left behind a bit.”