Elsie Lange
The concept of food relief is coming up a lot lately – the rising cost of living has made it that way – and its organisations like Sunbury’s Multicultural Resource Hub (MRH) keeping the region’s diverse communities afloat.
For months, the MRH has delivered food packages to multicultural and faith communities thanks to state government funding as part of its Priority Response to Multicultural Communities program.
MRH community development and program advisor Shammi Parekh said with current price increases, the hub found communities were seeking groceries above all else.
“Everybody has suffered one way or another, whether it’s been loss of job, hours being reduced, or people dealing with isolation and not getting out there in the field of shopping and meeting people,” Ms Parekh said.
The program is set to wrap up at the end of May, but Ms Parekh said it had been hugely successful, with registrations for the packages made through Facebook or word of mouth.
“We are finding there are a lot of people out there who are struggling in silence too,” Ms Parekh said.
“When we are visiting them, we are reconnecting with them and staying in contact with them to make sure that they’re not alone, and if there are services they require, or support, we try to link them to those services.”
Sunbury MP Josh Bull said multicultural communities had been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the program was about providing “tailored support” to people doing it tough.
“We’ve already rolled out millions in support over the past year – for food, clothing, emergency relief – but also ensuring organisations on the ground strengthen and build their networks, so that no one is left alone,” Mr Bull said.
