Canberra charity HelpingACT needs the public’s help to continue their food deliveries to vulnerable people. Their black van has broken down beyond repair, and they urgently want to raise $20,000 to buy a replacement vehicle.
HelpingACT has set up a GoFundMe campaign to buy a second-hand, low-kilometre van.
“Please, please, please donate to get us back on the road!” said HelpingACT’s president, Mohammed Ali.
Mr Ali, former Multicultural Volunteer of the Year, founded HelpingACT three years ago to provide food security to refugees and asylum seekers, homeless people, international students, and anyone else in need. Last year, the Governor-General himself commended the charity for their hard work, particularly during lockdown.
But without a delivery van, HelpingACT’s food deliveries to refugees, Companion House, Havelock House, and street and church pantries have stopped, and bulk purchasing of rice, lentils, and other staples has ground to a halt.
“We are completely paralysed,” Mr Ali said. “The car is gone. We are not on the road; we are depending entirely on volunteers.”
The van’s engine is completely seized, and the radiator and gasket are gone. HelpingACT says it “requires a major investment to fix, that may not even be worth the repair”.
A couple of volunteers have driven Mr Ali to bring fruit and vegetables to newly arrived Afghan families, or to Havelock House, while Companion House collected food from Mr Ali’s garage store last week.
And demand for food delivery has spiked during the pandemic. During last year’s lockdown, they brought food hampers to 10 families a day; now, they receive four or five requests each day from families ‘stranded’ in their homes. HelpingACT has switched to online deliveries direct from supermarkets for these families.
But these can only be stopgap measures. And Mr Ali worries about the asylum seekers and refugees who usually get free food through direct delivery by the HelpingACT van or the Companion House pantry, or the struggling and homeless who get assistance from the Havelock House pantry, or the street pantries in Ngunnawal and Ainslie.
“That part of Helping ACT is entirely dependent on volunteers’ ability, and it is being impeded.”
GoFundMe campaign
HelpingACT needs their own reliable car for their operations. Mr Ali estimates they will need $20,000 to cover purchase or repair of the vehicle, registration, comprehensive insurance, and servicing and maintenance for a year.
He asks car dealers to help them find something appropriate for a fair price, and corporate business to help rescue them by donating a van.
If he receives $10,000 to $12,000 only, he will put a second-hand engine in his car, and get it fixed. “That’s the fallback situation.” But it’s not ideal. Mr Ali’s 2005 Toyota Estima has done 225,000km, and might not even be repairable.
So far, HelpingACT has raised nearly $5,500 – more than $5,000 through GoFundMe, and $675 in direct donation to the charity’s bank account.
Tara Cheyne, ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs, contributed $500.
“HelpingACT provides critical support to those in need, and their van is central to ensuring that support can be delivered quickly and efficiently,” she said. “I was more than happy to provide a personal donation to support ACT get back on the road.”
If 7,500 Canberrans each donated $2, HelpingACT would be able to raise the money they need, Mr Ali said.
“Please donate generously so that we can get back on the road, and keep our service to the community going better than ever,” HelpingACT implores.
“Your donation is much needed at this time when our clients are suffering from isolation and lack of employment.”
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