By Danielle Kutchel
While families continue to feel the pandemic’s bite, the South Sudanese-Australian Academic Society is helping them put food on the table.
The Casey-based group recently received $15,000 in State Government funding as part of the Priority Response to Multicultural Communities program, to deliver food relief to those who have been impacted by the pandemic.
This includes people in isolation or quarantine as well as those whose employment has been affected by lockdown restrictions, either through reduced work or job loss.
“We’ve just been flooded with phone calls and messages from across the community,” explained co-founder of the South Sudanese-Australian Academic Society, Andrew Gai.
The funding has allowed the society to deliver culturally appropriate food relief to 53 families so far, right across Melbourne, including 26 in the western region.
The majority of the remainder are from the City of Casey, and other families have been in the outer eastern suburbs.
There have been countless hours of work involved, but Mr Gai said it makes him feel like he’s contributing to “the bigger picture” thanks to the impact the deliveries have had on struggling families.
“People are just thankful someone is thinking about them.”
He recalled one family that had just run out of supplies when their food relief delivery arrived.
“When we came, we were timely support,” Mr Gai said.
“Being in that position where you just can’t go out and can’t provide for your family at times like this can be quite stressful. We’re making a small difference.”
The society has stepped in where other food relief organisations have been forced to pull back as they run out of funding for their services.
Meanwhile, families may be struggling to access government payments and other forms of support due to language barriers or not understanding the complex procedures.
And while the $15,000 in funding has been useful, Mr Gai said with the strong demand being experienced it was likely the society would run out of money in the next couple of weeks.
But he said the society would not leave families in the dark, and would link them with other services that could help while also applying for more funding.
“It’s critical to have ongoing support so we can continue to play a role in helping people put food on the table,” he said.
“As challenging as the pandemic has been for everyone in the community, it’s important to highlight the resilience it has brought out in everyone at a community and government level.
“If you need help, it’s important you ask for help because a lot of people out there are happy to help and we’re happy to be one of those groups.”
Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards commended the society for its work.
“We are proud to support the South Sudanese-Academic Society to continue its important work – because no-one in Cranbourne should be left behind,” she said.
“Our local community groups do an important job feeding people and keeping them connected, and we’re ensuring they can continue serving the communities they know so well when that help is needed most.”
