Highlights
- Mental Health Foundation Australia provides free cooked meals to people in need
- MHFA is also raising awareness about mental health issues through the initiative
A group of volunteers at the Mental Health Foundation Australia have banded together to provide food packages as part of their initiative to provide targeted welfare support to protect the most vulnerable.
'Helping the most vulnerable'
Speaking to SBS Punjabi, Sunny Duggal, a multicultural ambassador at MHFA said the foundation supplies over 700 cooked meals to three organisations in Melbourne to reach out to more people in need of help amid a strict lockdown in Victoria that has left many homeless and others unemployed.
"People from diverse backgrounds and nationalities join us every day to cook and prepare fresh meals so that we could help the people who are suffering, homeless and are in dire need of support, he said.
Vasan Srinivasan, the chairperson of MHFA said the foundation is also using the opportunity to raise awareness about the mental health issues among the member of the community, some of whom he said are "often unaware of the illness and the support available to them."
A team of volunteers at MHFA cooking fresh meals to be distributed among those in dire need Source: Supplied
"Breaking down stigma and encouraging them to seek early help if they experience mental health problems can lead to better recovery outcomes and healthier trajectories,” he said.
Mr Srinivasan added that the volunteers are striving to reach out to people dealing with all sorts of mental health issues, which have been made worse by the 'lack of certainty' in the wake of the pandemic.
“We have many support groups helping people with every type of mental health sickness. Whether its anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or people affected by alcohol addiction, etc," he said.
Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged 5 to 25). More information is available at Beyond Blue.org.au and lifeline.org.au.
MHFA volunteers preparing fresh food packages Source: Supplied
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
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