Highlights
- Let's Feed has been providing 700 to 800 cooked meals and 60 to 100 packs of groceries per week for the last six months.
- The cooked meals have been prepared by the Gurudwaras, and in the Commercial kitchens of Community Centres and by professional chefs from restaurants who have not been busy during the lockdown.
- Pataka is a new grassroots activism movement that provides food and groceries to those doing it tough by laying out a food pantry outside their homes.
While another grassroots activism in Melbourne called "Pataka" is helping the needy by setting up a pantry outside their house for people to pick up what they need and also drop off groceries that they can spare.
Let's Feed organisation in Melbourne run by Jaswinder Sidhu and other volunteers from the Indian community stepped up its service to the community during the pandemic.
"Throughout this difficult time, people doing it tough contacted Let's Feed group through social media and they worked in collaboration with emergency networks set up by different Councils, women's associations, and refugee associations to help those in need," Jasvinder Sidhu, the founder of Let's Feed told SBS Hindi.
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"We ask people to provide a list of their needs, but most people are so humble, they say anything will do. We sort out the needs of people and provide them with cooked meals or groceries accordingly."
Let's Feed has helped single parents, elderly people, international students, and also Indian tourists who were stuck in Melbourne.
"Every necessary precaution is taken and the places are fully sanitized. Food is left outside the doors of those who require it.
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"None of the volunteers are afraid to work during the pandemic, or worried about themselves. The passion to serve is so strong in our culture and religion," Jasvinder Sidhu adds.
Apart from Let's Feed, many other organizations have come forward to help those who are doing it tough, Mr Sidhu says.
A new movement called Pataka which means pantry has been started by Gayle Crawford where anyone can avail of their help.
It has been set up mainly for New Zealanders who are unable to avail of the Jobseeker and Jobkeeper payments if they are not permanent residents or citizens of Australia.
"However, anyone can avail of their help," says Mr Sidhu.
"These locals have done an amazing job building a 2000 strong social media community in a short time and have inspired 50 pataka pantries in Melbourne suburbs.
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"People set up a little pantry outside their house on shelves or in old cupboards and anyone can help themselves to what they need and can drop off something if they can," says Mr Sidhu.
Any needy person can help themselves there are no questions and no judgements and international students are welcome.
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