Since the lockdown began, the Multicultural Association of Canberra has received 10 distress calls a day from people in quarantine unable to cook or go shopping.
Fortunately for them, the Association’s president Nishi Puri and her dedicated team – chief among them, treasurer Kranti Amar and Mainul Haique – have cooked meals, delivered groceries, and tried to bring a smile back to people’s faces.
The childcare centre Mrs Puri runs, the Mini Miracles Early Learning Centre in Bruce, was a busy kitchen yesterday. Five volunteers cooked vegetarian curries and fried rice for 25 families. Those went to Afghan families, Calvary Hospital, and individual homes.
That was the third time they have cooked this lockdown, and they will do it again next weekend.
“There’s a big need in the community,” Mrs Puri said. “We want to help our community that is doing it tough in these COVID times. We want to engage everybody that’s in the community to come forward and help people who really need help.”
She urged Canberrans who need help with non-perishables or need food delivered to contact her on 0412 772 974.
“Anybody who calls us will get food delivered to their doorstep,” Mrs Puri said. “We will get help to them as quickly as we can.”
Mrs Puri is also president of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Canberra chapter. Both the Multicultural Association and GOPIO have donated food to people in need since the crisis began.
Last year, Mrs Puri said, many people lost their jobs; and students were sleeping in their cars, with nowhere to go. This year, their calls have been from people in confinement, close contacts or COVID patients unable to leave their homes.
The Multicultural Association also donates non-perishables to St Vincent de Paul’s Blue Door Pantry every fortnight and to food rescue service, OzHarvest. It helps to keep the University of Canberra’s international students’ pantry well-stocked; it has also assisted students with rent and food vouchers. And it donates to Share the Dignity, which collects sanitary goods for women. Mrs Puri estimates they have helped hundreds of Canberrans through these organisations.
Many people have volunteered to drop groceries to where they are needed. A lot of the community would like to volunteer with the cooking, Mrs Puri said, but because of COVID restrictions, only five people could cook on Sunday.
“Otherwise, we would have a proper kitchen running by now, because there are so many people willing to come forward to help!” Mrs Puri said.
“There is a big sense of public spirit in Canberra. Canberra’s one of the loveliest cities, with very generous-hearted people living here.”
Social outreach is another avenue for the Multicultural Association. They have held Zoom workshops on COVID vaccine efficacy, myths about vaccine side-effects, diabetes, and health classes like Zumba and Bollywood dancing. Next weekend, they will hold a workshop on mental health.
“The aim of these workshops is to keep our community well informed and socially connected as well so that they don’t suffer in isolation while they can’t socialise,” Mrs Puri said.
Again, she invited people to call the Association to talk.
“If they’re suffering in isolation, and they would like to talk to us, we are there to listen to them.”
In related news, another Canberra charity, HelpingACT, gave 50 food hampers to the Early Morning Centre in Northbourne, and delivered its weekly stock to Companion House Pantry today.
Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
