Social worker Garnet Jacob from Sunbury is passionate about helping the most vulnerable people in the community, which is why he is part of Give Until it Hurts (GUIH) campaign to support homeless Victorians.
He said with rent and the cost of living continuing to soar, leading to more people experiencing housing stress and homelessness, he wanted to make a difference.
“Every second Friday our volunteers meet in Melbourne’s [central business district] with prepackaged food and distribute these packs to people on the streets,” Mr Jacob said.
“This Winter, we distributed around 100 plus packs…We also distributed toiletry packs, beanies, sleeping bags, blankets, socks, gloves.”
The volunteers hail from across Melbourne and Mr Jacob does his bit to collect items in Sunbury to donate, as well as gathering un-used or new items.
“[We are] asking people to register as volunteers and regular donors [to GUIH],” Mr Jacob said.
“We need money to purchase pre-packaged food, supermarket vouchers, sometimes we provide emergency accommodation overnight on a case-by-case basis.
“People can donate cash directly to our business account so we can continue to provide this service to our fellow brothers and sisters who are living it rough.”
He said what he hoped for is for people to “stop judging”.
“[We should] love unconditionally and share our time, skills and talents by thinking outside the box on how we can together make a difference to one person, one family and one project at a time,” he said.
“Join us, and make this world a better place for future generations.”
To donate, or find out how to get involved, head to: www.guih.org/.
