The homeless woman at the Early Morning Centre enthusiastically thanks HelpingACT. Every month, ACT Citizen of the Year Mohammed Ali’s food charity hosts a barbecue one night and a curry lunch for the community hub’s vulnerable guests.
On Monday, it was butter chicken or palak paneer, with gulab jamun for afters. The barbecue was held three days before, on Friday night.
A busy couple of days – but par for the course for HelpingACT’s tireless volunteers, who are determined that nobody in Canberra will go to bed hungry.
The curry lunch initiative began three months ago, and is part of the Early Morning Centre’s Feel Good Feed, a program where local businesses and community groups cook lunch for homeless people.
Because of HelpingACT, the EMC can now host the Feed twice a month (in addition to their own free lunches twice a week).
“It’s quite nice for our guests,” director Nicole Wiggins said. “They feel a little bit spoilt when someone cooks for them outside us. It shows that other people care, and want to help out. It’s a more community feel when there are people other than just the staff and volunteers cooking for them.”
Helping ACT’s lunch was sponsored by real estate agent Adil Iqbal (Edge), who believes the money he makes selling properties should help those less fortunate.
“I support a lot of charities overseas and here as well in Canberra,” he said. “My main goal is to give back to the community, which has given [me] a lot… We can see the families who are in trouble… We’re seeing more charities who are in dire need after COVID; we can do something to help them.”
Mr Ali requested all entrepreneurs in Canberra, in whatever their capacity, to contact him or Ms Wiggins if they could help.
“Our aim is that no-one sleeps hungry in Canberra. That’s what we want to see, because we can do that. I’m sure nine out of 10 people can afford to feed one person in Canberra who’s in need.
“We will be their foot soldiers to help vulnerable families in Canberra, as far as food is concerned. That includes refugees, asylum seekers, and Afghan refugees.”
- Mohammed Ali named Canberra Citizen of the Year 2022 (15 March)
- Canberrans open their hearts for HelpingACT (7 March)
- Governor-General commends HelpingACT’s hard work in lockdown (18 September 2021)
- HelpingACT looks after Canberra’s hungry (20 July 2021)
The need for food has doubled in Canberra since the pandemic began, Mr Ali believes – and he sees no sign on the horizon that it will decrease any time soon.
“The cost of living has increased so much, and the cost is incredible.”
Take the food pantry at Companion House, a community organisation assisting survivors of torture and trauma. For the last three years, HelpingACT has provided 90 per cent of the food that goes to refugees and asylum seekers through this pantry. Previously, HelpingACT had to restock the pantry every fortnight; now, it is every week.
The weekend between the Early Morning Centre barbecue and lunch, they spent buying and packing food hampers for families in need, and stocking street pantries.
“To add insult to injury, the financial situation of households has gone down,” Mr Ali says.
The number of working poor has increased, ACTCOSS revealed earlier this year.
HelpingACT now gets requests from people who are employed full-time, but whose total earnings are not sufficient to pay the mortgage and feed their family. Yesterday, Mr Ali said, he got an emergency call: the caller and his partner had not eaten for two days.
HelpingACT will hold a food conference later this year to review the food situation in Canberra and how organisations can better collaborate to solve the problem. The collective efforts of HelpingACT and other charities like Barnardo’s, Multicultural Hub Canberra, OzHarvest Canberra, the Red Cross, and Vinnies will get Canberra through this difficult period, Mr Ali believes.
HelpingACT has a food bank at the Gungahlin Marketplace, providing long-life food and fresh groceries every Thursday (10am to 1pm) and Saturday (10am to 12 noon), in collaboration with Barnardo’s and the Multicultural Hub.
Those in need can also get food from food pantries in Ngunnawal, Braddon, Ainslie, and Weston; Havelock House, Companion House, and the Woden Community Centre; Service One Community Centre at Narrabundah, Tuckerbox at Holy Cross Anglican Church Hackett, and the Kippax Uniting Church.
HelpingACT assists these organisations with long-life food, fresh fruit and vegetables, and meat (including halal meat). Support from groups like Ginninderry and Slabsforheroes has made it more possible, Mr Ali said. Similarly, he appreciated support from the ACT Government and all colours of politics in Canberra.
“They make the whole thing easier for us, because HelpingACT is for the people, by the people,” Mr Ali said.
If you need help from HelpingACT, or want to help their good work, visit https://www.helpingact.org
