BIG4 in the community

Urban Angels Community Kitchen is a Sunshine Coast based organisation dedicated to nourishing both body and soul. Their team of passionate volunteers prepares and delivers nutritious, home-style frozen meals to individuals and families doing it tough - from those experiencing homelessness or financial hardship to elderly residents and people recovering from illness.

We donate proceeds from our Pancake Mornings and Containers for Change initiative directly to the Urban Angels Community Kitchen.

Pancake Mornings are held on Thursdays outside our onsite coffee van. Guests can make a donation in return for fresh pancakes, with all funds going to support local meals for those in need.

Containers for Change is our ongoing recycling initiative - guests can drop off eligible bottles and cans at our collection points within the park. Every 10¢ refund earned is added to our Urban Angels donation fund, helping to turn recyclables into real community impact.

We wanted to support a local charity with a meaningful, visible impact - one that truly reflects our company values of support, connection, and community care.

Urban Angels Community Kitchen stood out as the perfect partner. Their work goes far beyond providing nutritious meals; it’s about restoring dignity, fostering belonging, and building human connection. They take the time to listen, to share stories, and to remind people they’re not alone - values that deeply resonate with the culture we aim to create within our parks.

Just as our teams strive to make every guest feel welcome and cared for, Urban Angels does the same for those doing it tough across the Sunshine Coast. Supporting them allows us to extend that same spirit of hospitality and compassion beyond our park gates - where it’s needed most.

The Otis Foundation is a national not-for-profit organisation providing breaks away at no cost to those with breast cancer. 

The mission of The Otis Foundation is to ease the emotional impact of breast cancer by gifting breaks away for individuals and their loved ones.  These respite stays offer a unique opportunity to rest, reconnect and create precious memories together.

What we're most proud of is receiving feedback that our contribution has truly made a difference to a person’s life and well-being. It’s especially rewarding when we hear that the park itself, the peaceful environment and the beautiful bush and garden views, has given someone a real moment of respite and a precious holiday memory.

That is always what matters most. We’ve had that feedback from several of our Otis Foundation guests and it means a huge amount to me and the team.  

Otis is a national not-for-profit organisation. If you know someone who is dealing with, or recovering from, the challenges of breast cancer please encourage them to make contact with Otis via www.otisfoundation.org.au and discuss their eligibility for a respite stay. It's precious time out with loved ones. Of course, we'd encourage other parks to become involved as well. 

Lifeblood is part of the Australian Red Cross, providing blood, plasma, and other biological products to hospitals through volunteer donations.

The Leukaemia Foundation is a national charity supporting people with blood cancer and funding research to help end the disease.

After our daughter-in-law was diagnosed with leukaemia in late 2022, we placed a donation box on our counter and have raised over $3000. That experience also led our son Matthew to become a plasma donor and form a team to donate regularly. We joined him soon after, making fortnightly trips to Maitland.

Our daughter-in-law received over 100 transfusions and a bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor. She’s now in remission but still receives plasma-based IVIG treatments to support her immune system. We continue donating to pay it forward, just as others did for her.

We’re proud that our personal experiences have led to real action supporting blood donation through LifeBlood and the Leukaemia Foundation. We’ve seen firsthand how these efforts change lives—and we hope our story inspires others to get involved.

We encourage everyone to do their bit for others in the community who will need blood and blood-related products in their lifetimes.

You can volunteer to roll up your sleeves and donate blood, platelets and plasma by calling your local donor centre or finding one online or via the Lifeblood app.

We actively support Home Base (formerly Colony 47), CatholicCare and City Mission through their emergency housing programs.

We have helped provide suitable accommodation at a discounted rate for families-often single mothers-who are experiencing homelessness or emergencies such as domestic violence. Our park serves as a safe and stable environment while families transition back into long-term housing.

Our team started working with emergency housing due to exposure through a previous role.  Relationships had been built with charities and team members and these were the foundation to build a new partnership with BIG4 Hobart Airport Tourist Park.

Partnering with these organisations allowed us to provide immediate support where we could and gave us the opportunity to be part of the solution to a series of awful problems.

The greatest benefit is seeing the real impact a roof over someone's head can make. For children, it brings stability and a sense of normalcy to their lives. For parents, it relieves the overwhelming stress of not knowing where their family will sleep at night. Witnessing families regain their footing and rebuild their lives is incredibly rewarding.

We are proud to be a stepping stone for families to get back on track. Over the years, we've seen people completely turn their lives around after being given this opportunity, and that's something we are truly humbled by.

You can see the direct impact you're making in people's lives, and that's something money can't buy. Being able to give a family hope, stability, and a safe place to stay is incredibly rewarding, and it's something you won't regret being a part of.

We would encourage other parks to get involved. Yes, it has its challenges, and there are times where your patience will be tested, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. 

For the general public, we would encourage them to look into Home Base, CatholicCare and City Mission and any other emergency housing programs in their local area to see how they can help. From volunteering their time, household items, donating money and contrinuting to fundraising efforts.

Lifeblood, a division of the Australian Red Cross, supplies hospitals with blood, plasma, and other vital biological products thanks to volunteer donors.

We were first inspired at our annual conference when a park shared a personal experience that led to a blood donation drive. In 2024 a Lifeblood team was set up to encourage head office team members in Melbourne and around the country to donate blood and blood-related products to help those who need it. BIG4 afforded employees time out of their day to go and donate. As of October, 2025, 20 team members have donated a cumulative total of 33 times.

We were connected with Simon from 'The Bloody Good Tour'. This initiative travelled around Australia, staying at caravan parks, including BIG4s and encouraging guests and staff to roll up their sleeves and donate blood, platelets and plasma to help the community. BIG4 helped Simon facilitate this work by providing free stays in parks around the country. The Bloody Good Tour saw 648 people donate, potentially saving up to 7,110 lives before wrapping up in July, 2025. Simon travelled to 82 caravan parks, covered 50,000km, and visited and prompted others to visit, 81 donor centres across the country.

We’re proud that we helped Simon and 'The Bloody Good Tour' drive donations from staff and guests around the country as well as promote awareness to donate.

In addition, we love to see our own staff members volunteer their time to donate blood, plasma and platelets to help out those in the community who need it. Many staff members have donated multiple times, while others have confronted their fear of blood, needles and other phobias for the greater good, which is wonderful to see.

Join the Lifeblood community by booking a donation online or through the app, visiting a donor centre, and inspiring others to give too. Also, tell your friends, colleagues or family and post on your social media to generate awareness and donorship.