Durga Owen is a lecturer at Western Sydney University, but today she's driving around her neighbourhood delivering essential food hampers during the COVID-19 lockdown to help others in need.
“And that means we mask up, we get out there, and we shop for people and drop it off at their door,” she tells SBS News.
“We don’t want anyone forgotten, we don’t want anyone going hungry or anyone feeling like they’re alone through this lockdown in our area.”
Volunteering for the charity group Servants Community Care Seven Hills, Ms Owen is among a growing number of locals giving up their time to help meet a massive rise in demand for food assistance.
“A lot of refugee families are on bridging visas and they’re not eligible for any government benefits,” she says.
Awaiting a delivery is Lidcombe resident Majana who said she recently lost her casual job in retail.
International student Majana says the hampers have helped her to save on food costs so she can cover her rent. Source: SBS News
As an international student, she too is ineligible for government support, so the donated food hampers have been a real lifeline.
“The situation's getting really hard because we can't predict when the lockdown is going to end and our expenses keep on going, and we’re not able to get help from Centrelink as well,” she says.
Opening her hamper Majana finds fruit, vegetables, pasta and dahl, as well as sanitary and self-care products.
“We've got eggs and milk and everything and it's quite enough for me, at least a person, to survive one whole week,” she says.
“It helps me save money and instead of spending the amount on groceries I can save up and pay my rent.”
Lockdowns continue
Nine local government areas in south-west and western Sydney currently remain under NSW's strictest lockdown measures, with Penrith added to that list on Sunday.
Unlike other parts of Greater Sydney, residents in those LGAs can't leave their areas for work unless they are authorised workers.
Lakemba MP Jihad Dib says because the workforce there is mainly blue-collar, or in trades, working from home is simply not an option for most people.
“And of course the impact of that is that for many of them their income has gone down dramatically," he says.
“I’m putting in a number of calls day after day of people who are in financial distress and they’re really struggling. It’s very difficult for them.”
Language and communication barriers are also an obstacle for many migrant families when it comes to seeking important assistance, he says.
Foodbank Australia says demand has soared during lockdown. Source: Supplied
But Mr Dib is inspired by the community efforts to ensure those most vulnerable get the help they need.
“People who have not been able to work have volunteered to pack these hampers. It’s the spirit within us that’s helping us get through and that’s the really important thing.”
“If it wasn’t for the community or community organisations and many of those grassroots charities, then a lot more would be falling through the cracks.”
Demand for food aid
National charity Foodbank Australia, which supplies many charities in the area with supplies, says communities are in crisis.
It has reported a 200 per cent increase in demand for its emergency food hampers since the Greater Sydney lockdown began.
“We’re building about 2,500 hampers a day in our warehouse,” CEO of Foodbank NSW & ACT John Robertson says.
“People who never would have expected they’d find themselves in this situation suddenly come to the realisation that if they want to keep a roof over their head and the lights on, something’s got to give.
"And you have families going one meal or two meals a day, or no meals, at a particular point during the week.”
Kirsty Parkes is the founder of the food charity Community Cafe. It has been running a stall in the suburb of Liverpool.
Kirsty Parkes says she’s doing her best to meet different dietary requests. Source: SBS News
She says with the variety of cultural and religious groups in the area, as well as various dietary requirements, they try their best to meet everyone's needs.
“We did have one of the hampers that went out today [with] no bacon or bacon products in there."
"We don’t always have access to food that is marked Halal but we do keep that in mind. We try our best to meet everybody’s dietary requirements."
Amar Singh is a local business owner whose trucking company came to a standstill under the current lockdown restrictions.
He's now spending most of his time volunteering at a local Sikh charity he co-founded called Turbans for Australia.
“Demand is through the roof. We’re trying to service the requests we get every two to three days because that’s how long it takes to work out the hampers and get volunteers on the road," he says.
Turbans 4 Australia is delivering to people forced to isolate who cannot leave their home. Source: Supplied
“We’ve gone from 50 hampers a week to over 300.”
With the Delta variant surging through his community, deliveries need to be COVID-safe.
“That includes people who are vulnerable or are in isolation, or one of their family members is. So we’re providing hampers straight to their doorstep, it’s completely contactless,” he says.
Masks, sanitisers and COVID-19 health information in multiple languages are also placed in the packages to help families combat the virus's spread.
How long the lockdown will last is unknown, but for those on the frontline like volunteer Ms Owen, the focus remains on making sure everyone gets through.
For those who are hesitant to seek help, she has this message of reassurance.
“This community has always looked after each other and I have been a beneficiary in the past and now I’m helping other people who are in need. It’s as simple as that.”
