Local food relief charity HelpingACT will hold its annual fundraising dinner on Wednesday night, 14 June.
Food insecurity and the cost of living are worse than ever, says the charity’s founder and president, Mohammed Ali, 2022 Canberra Citizen of the year. The dinner will give patrons a chance to help those in need – and make sure that nobody sleeps hungry in Canberra.
The fundraising dinner will take place at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, 180 London Circuit, Civic, on Wednesday 14 June at 6pm. The Taj Agra Indian restaurant will cater, and Daydream Machine will play music. Tickets are $50, or $450 for a table of 10, available through Humanitix.
- Helping ACT looks after Canberra’s hungry (20 July 2021)
- Governor-General commends HelpingACT’s hard work in lockdown (18 September 2021)
- Mohammed Ali named Canberra Citizen of the Year 2022 (15 March 2022)
HelpingACT wants to raise $40,000 to buy a food trailer.
“It’s huge, but nothing is huge when it comes to the generosity of Canberra,” Mr Ali said.
While services are available for struggling individuals and families in the Civic area and Dickson, he believes there is high demand but fewer facilities in Gungahlin and the south of Canberra.
“We want to go there and fill that gap,” Mr Ali said.
In summer, HelpingACT will use the food trailer to host barbecues in those parts of Canberra and Queanbeyan. A trailer means they can also serve breakfast at another school; the charity already runs breakfast programs in three schools in the ACT region.
The fundraising dinner is also an occasion to thank HelpingACT’s volunteers, donors, and other organisations that help struggling Canberrans.
On average, Mr Ali said, HelpingACT spends $1,000 every week buying food for families and schools. Fifteen families pick up food hampers every week, containing 10 kg of long-life food and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Established charities often refer emergency food need cases to HelpingACT. One evening last week, for instance, the parent of a family of five rang Mr Ali to say they had nothing for dinner; they had exhausted their Centrelink payment; and would not get the next instalment for five days. Fortunately, Mr Ali could help. His charity always keeps two or three food hampers ready. The problem is the rise of working poor families.
“When it comes to basic food, it is heartbreaking …” Mr Ali said. “Because of the cost of living, they have no help elsewhere, except just to wish that the days would come back when things were easier for them.”
Nicole Wiggins, director of the Early Morning Centre, a community hub supporting Canberra people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and social isolation, said she has also seen demand increase.
“We’re seeing new faces and getting a lot of phone enquiries from families and working people who have never accessed food before, who really don’t know where to start. People are really struggling with the increase in prices and rents and food.”
HelpingACT spends another $200 every week on refugees and asylum seekers, and fills up the food pantry at Companion House, a community organisation assisting survivors of torture and trauma. Since last year, HelpingACT has had to top up the pantry twice as often, and the amount spent on food has doubled.
The charity also runs a monthly barbecue and a curry lunch at the Early Morning Centre for Canberra’s homeless and vulnerable people.
“HelpingACT makes a massive difference,” Ms Wiggins said. “They make a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, so that people can feel comfortable to come along. When people are queued up in front of a soup kitchen, they feel like they’re being classified as disadvantaged, but if you’re having a barbecue out the front, or a lunch, it’s more of a community atmosphere.
“We really support the assistance of Mohammed and HelpingACT. It’s wonderful.”
- HelpingACT feeds homeless people at the Early Morning Centre (13 September 2022)
Canberra MLAs have also volunteered at HelpingACT’s Early Morning Centre events. This week, Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry helped to serve biryani to 60 homeless guests, while Greens ministers Rebecca Vassarotti and Emma Davidson regularly assist.
“I volunteer with HelpingACT because it allows me to make a tangible difference in people’s lives at a personal level,” Ms Vassarotti, ACT Minister for Homelessness and Housing Services, said. “The staff and community are incredibly welcoming, and have created a positive environment for volunteering. By contributing my time here, I have the chance to directly impact individuals through the services HelpingACT provides.
“HelpingACT’s work holds a special place in my heart, and I wholeheartedly support their mission. This local community organisation is driven by a deep commitment to helping those facing challenging circumstances. Their dedication to ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry resonates with me and reflects the values all in the community share. It is this shared vision that motivates me to be an active participant in their initiatives.”
Other MLAs – Elizabeth Lee, Nicole Lawder, and Peter Cain (Canberra Liberals), Suzanne Orr and Michael Pettersson (ACT Labor), and Andrew Braddock (ACT Greens) – have also helped the charity.
- Canberrans open their hearts for HelpingACT (7 March 2022)
- HelpingACT puts food on the table at Christmas (23 December 2022)
Last year, the ACT Government gave HelpingACT space for a food station in the Theo Notaras Building in Civic Square. Mr Ali is grateful for the government’s support, but would love to have a second room. The food station is full, and food is spilling out, he said. The charity buys in bulk, so it can help more people for less money.
Any government support for the food trailer would be highly appreciated, too, Mr Ali said.
He would like the government to set up a discretionary grant for working poor families to buy food, similar to the government’s discretionary grant for refugees and asylum seekers in dire need. Mr Ali expects the next six months will be worse; if the banks increase rates again, people will find it more difficult to pay bills and mortgages, or buy food, he fears.
“If the ACT Government could provide some more support, we would love it, and it will make the lives [of people in need] easier.”
But Mr Ali remains optimistic.
“We should not lose hope,” he said. “We have a strong hope that this is a temporary situation. We will certainly have a day back again when we could be perfectly free from [worrying about] the basic needs of life, which include food. Lots of work is going on by so many organisations, including HelpingACT, and things will be a lot better in the coming years, rather than what they are [now].
“Let’s keep helping each other and let’s keep working together to reach a day when there is nobody in Canberra who can say ‘I need more food’ or ‘I’m hungry’. We can certainly achieve that.”
If you need help from HelpingACT, or want to help their good work, visit www.helpingact.org.
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