The Governor-General of Australia doesn’t telephone every day. But on Friday morning, H.E. David Hurley AC and his wife Linda rang HelpingACT’s Mohammed Ali and Manar Ahmad to congratulate them on the charity’s hard work – particularly feeding hungry Canberrans during lockdown.
“It shows enormous heart for our community and the members of it,” the Governor-General told them. “COVID constraints have made life difficult for so many families who are often doing it hard anyway … What you are doing is just so heartwarming and necessary.”
The charity was set up three years ago to provide food security to the vulnerable – and they have been inundated with calls for help for a month.
Every day, Mr Ali and his volunteers spend five or six hours buying food – fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, and long-life goods costing $350 or so – and delivering it to families and international students, food pantries and welfare organisations. On a single day, they might bring hampers of food to 10 families.
They stock street pantries in Ngunnawal, Braddon, and Ainslie; Havelock House, Companion House, and the Woden Community Centre; and this week delivered 50-odd emergency food packs to the Early Morning Centre for homeless people.
The demand for food has tripled since lockdown began, Mr Ali said. In 2020, HelpingACT delivered bags of groceries over the course of the year; since lockdown began last month, they have delivered 2,000. He expects that demand to be sustained, if it does not increase.
Many Canberrans despair, he said, because they have lost their jobs, cannot pay rent, and struggle to put food on the table. Even something as cheap as fruit can be out of their reach; one note thanking HelpingACT was heartbreaking, Mr Ali said. “You don’t know how much this means,” it read.
But the public response to the crisis has been wonderful, Mr Ali said; there has been a boost in donations – and HelpingACT would not be able to do its work without the support of the community.
“We are simply soldiers, buying and bringing food to the families,” he said. “We are not doing it on our own; all Canberra is helping.”
The Rotary Club of Hall donated $2,500: $1,500 in financial donations, and $1,000 in weekly food purchases from the markets. Kippax Uniting Church brings baby formulas, nappies, and Ikea vouchers. The Ginninderry Group donated $1,000, and next week will sell co-branded bags; proceeds will go to the charity.
The ABC has run a competition for a lockdown T-shirt design; once printed, $12.50 from each T-shirt will be donated to HelpingACT.
Slabs for Heroes provided food vouchers, and large amounts of pasta and rice, while the Multicultural Hub has also been a staunch ally. Mr Ali’s cousin from Sydney donated another $2,500, and many Canberra locals are helping the charity provide food relief.
The ACT Government has also supported HelpingACT’s good work. After Mr Ali was a finalist in the ABC’s Canberra Community Spirit Awards, Labor MLA Suzanne Orr rang to congratulate him. At that stage, the lockdown was in its early stages, and Mr Ali was unsure how he would meet the demand for food. It was, he said, a nightmare.
On Ms Orr’s advocacy, the ACT Government gave HelpingACT $10,000 and an office space to use as a food store. The charity’s garage stores in Franklin and Molonglo Valley are difficult to access for families who might want to collect the food themselves.
“Mohammed and his HelpingACT team have a strong history of supporting the community and have stepped up throughout this pandemic,” said Tara Cheyne, ACT Minister for Human Rights and Multicultural Affairs.
“Being able to provide HelpingACT with funds to continue their incredible work has been a highlight of what have been some challenging times in Canberra.”
The Governor-General said that when the lockdown was over, he would put HelpingACT on his visit program in Canberra.
Mr Ali said HelpingACT was extremely grateful to Their Excellencies for sparing time from their ever-busy schedules and bestowing the honour to his group to talk about the work HelpingACT is doing.
“Appreciation of our work at the highest level is overwhelming and inspiring, and we feel more confident and committed to keep assisting all those in Canberra who need food and support in their utility bills and small household items,” he said.
If you need long-life food and fresh groceries, small household items, or help paying bills, call HelpingACT on 0404 947 260. The charity will deliver to your doorstep for free, or you can arrange to pick up goods.
The public can help HelpingACT by donating money or food via their website.
Mr Ali urged the public not to despair.
“There is no need to be completely taken over by COVID fear,” he said. “We have shown courage and resilience in the past, during the fires. This is another type of fire; we will be able to overcome this one also.”
Canberrans should take care of their neighbours, particularly people who might be vulnerable or lonely. During times like these, strong friendships and relationships are important, Mr Ali said.
“The situation is really grim, but we will get through it, and we will succeed. We are many, but we are one. Together we are a force, [but] working in isolation [almost nothing].”
It would be very kind if Canberrans put long-life food in their local street pantry. (A Facebook group has a list.) These pantries work at the grassroots level, many urgently need staples like milk and pasta, and Mr Ali has seen half-a-dozen people queuing to get food from them.
If a business in Mitchell or Dickson area, Hackett, Belconnen or Cook could give HelpingACT a small space for six months for free, as an office / food storage space, Mr Ali would be grateful.
For more news:
- ‘Start your engines’: ACT car dealers to begin delivering vehicles in lockdown
- Domestic and Family Violence Death Review to be established in the ACT
- Report into strip search at AMC: Human rights must be considered
- New COVID-19 cases in the ACT climb to 30
- Select committee to examine ACT outbreak response
