By Brendan Rees
Kind-hearted members of Casey’s ethnic Hazara community have sprung into action again – this time donating trays of food to those struggling in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Volunteers of the United Cultural Support Inc (UCSI) – a not-for-profit group supporting people in need – opened up their hearts by collecting food for the Sikh Volunteers Australia (SVA), who have been working tirelessly delivering free meals to the community’s vulnerable.
With the support of Victoria Police and Casey Council, the Hazara community, which donated $150,000 to the bushfire relief earlier this year, was able to collect between 15 and 20 trays of non-perishable items.
Food staples included oil, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, salt, rice, fresh vegetables, milk and more which was collected over a 24-hour period before being gathered at the carpark of the Lynbrook Community Centre.
“This pandemic has affected us a lot,” president of the UCSI, Sadia Ali said.
“About 80 per cent of the community has lost their jobs and businesses – most of our business are in hospitality industry – but we know and acknowledge that we are all in this together, this is why providing help to other communities and people around us is part of our culture and belief.”
Ms Ali said the donated items were brought by families from their homes out of their staples which demonstrated “unity and collaboration with wider communities that we recognise and acknowledge the pain and suffering as one community”.
SVA, which has a food van that operates out of Devon Meadows, have been spending hours in their kitchen cooking up 795 meals day which is being delivered to the elderly, those in isolation or people struggling to put food on the table across the southeast.
The SVA’s vice president, Manpreet Singh, said his team was gracious for the donation: “This is a good thing all the communities getting together; we really appreciate their help.”
