Highlights
- Central Queensland University's Melbourne campus launches Food Relief Program
- Students can avail cooked food (veg/non-vegetarian), pantry items, and fresh produce every week
- Program benefits students and their families/housemates
CQUniversity's Melbourne campus has teamed up with social enterprises to put free food on the table for thousands of hard-hit students.
The initiative has helped hundreds like Daksh Prajapati, an international student from India who lost his income due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Before the pandemic forced everything to shut down, I was very comfortable and was enjoying studying at Central Queensland University," Mr Prajapati told SBS Hindi.
"I was working part-time and would earn enough to support my daily expenses.
"But when I lost my job in March I had no income and my parents were not able to send me money due to difficult circumstances back home.
“It was like me and my housemates had almost nothing in our groceries. And our bank account showed $70 after paying our rent.
"We didn’t know what to do and whom to ask for help," Mr Prajapati says.
However, a message from his University changed everything for him.
"When I reached university campus after almost six weeks, I was surprised to see that they had arranged cooked meals, fresh veggies, and pantry items to take home not only for me but also for my housemates," Mr Prajapati told SBS Hindi.
Source: Supplied
Melbourne-based Lara Carton, the Associate Vice-Chancellor, Victoria region for Central Queensland University told SBS Hindi, “We have partnered with two charity organisations SecondBite & FareShare to deliver CQUniversity Melbourne’s Food Relief Program to assist our students during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown crisis."
"Students can pick the whole week's worth of cooked meals like butter chicken and lasagne, pantry items like Atta-dal (flour-lentils) and fresh produce like veggies.
Source: Supplied
“Students have to register their interest with the university 2-3 days before picking these items, as we have arranged for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food,” she explains.
The food pickups are available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from CQ University's Melbourne campus, she said.
“We have established a makeshift store with freezers at the campus so that we can welcome our students and ensure their wellbeing.”
Ritesh Chugh, a senior lecturer in the Information Systems department with CQ university, who is volunteering his time to assist in the university's food relief program says, “We have enough food for you and your family please do not hesitate to come to uni campus and pick your share of food items.”
Source: Supplied
“I have been teaching online for the last few weeks and was concerned reading about international students in the news.”
When the University announced this program I put my hand up to volunteer and believe me it’s one of the most fulfilling work I have been involved in," he says.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus
ALSO ON SBS HINDI:
