Meet the caring people coming together to lend a hand

SINCE late last month, a family home in Sebastopol has been highlighting the generosity of the community, by acting as a local pickup point for people doing it tough.

Hannah Burton had been noticing an uptick on social media in people providing food and necessities for others to collect.

Having previously experienced food insecurity, she offered some leftover pasta as a way of giving back.

“I had so many people reaching out, it wasn’t funny,” she said. “I ended up making a second batch and we helped so many people out from it.

“There were so many messages from people that I could personally help and I thought there’s just nothing out here.”

Wanting to do more, Ms Burton established the Food from Kindness initiative with a Facebook group which now has more than 600 members.

Collecting donated food, clothing, items, and toiletries, the space is open for anyone doing it tough to take what they need.

One of the initiative’s administrators Julie Van Der Harst said discretion is key in offering their service.

“There’s a lot of shame attached for people when they can’t feed their families,” she said.

“People worry about being seen, and here they can drop by very quietly and grab some food or whatever they need.

“Hannah’s generously given up her house as a space where people can come when other places are closed.

“Not all of the other charities can provide what we can because they can’t stay open all the time. to have something like this open past 5pm is extraordinary.”

The team hope to expand the initiative with transport options and with more homes to serve as collection and donation points.

Beginning with a single shelf and some baskets, the veranda space has expanded to include a clothes rack, a fridge and two freezers, much of which has been donated.

Helper, Melissa McAdie, said the initiative is highlighting a sense of compassion and giving among the community.

“A lot of people are actually offering to help,” she said. “We had someone pick up the fridge for us because we don’t have any trailers.

“We had a huge donation from Inglenook Dairy as well.

“We’ve had others from Woolworths, and IGA giving us stuff as well. As an admin group, we thank the community for what they’ve done to help this along.”

The group has since come under the umbrella of Feeding Families who are providing insurance while the team has also established a bank account for financial donations.

The Food from Kindness collection point can be found on the corner of Vale Street and Bedggood Court in Sebastopol.

Items can be picked up or dropped off every day between 9am and 8pm.