Food drive supports asylum seekers

SIX collection bins for donated groceries have been set up around Bendigo as a food drive for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre takes place this month.

Until June 30, donations of non-perishable food can be left at Bendigo Library in Hargreaves Street and at Woolworths supermarkets at Bendigo Marketplace, Kennington Village, Golden Square, Epsom and Kangaroo Flat.

“Though the cost of living is hurting many Australian families, we are still hoping that families who are managing will find a moment to consider the plight of people who are seeking asylum,” Amnesty International Bendigo Action Group convenor Jan Govett said.

“Visa conditions can prevent asylum seekers from working to support their families, even though they receive no government financial aid.

“With charities generally under increasing pressure, the ASRC has a real battle to provide life’s necessities for people seeking asylum.”

Bendigo Amnesty members are managing the food drive in conjunction with local Rural Australians for Refugees and Grandmothers for Refugees branches.

Ms Govett said that with increased numbers of families relying on it, the ASRC was desperate for the community’s help in putting food on the table for about 1200 people a month – people who had no safety net and no other means of support.

Ken Rookes, president of Bendigo’s branch of Rural Australians for Refugees, agreed that the ASRC’s foodbank program was vital.

“Food is an essential, and donating non-perishable food is a tangible way to demonstrate your compassion and support,” Mr Rookes said.

Grandmothers for Refugees convenor Di O’Neil said 40 per cent of people being supported by the ASRC are children.

“These children have escaped trauma to come to Australia, now we need to provide them with a safe and secure future,” she said.

The ASRC’s vision is that people seeking asylum can live safely, sustainably, independently and equally.

It began in 2001 as a small community-funded food bank led by a group of TAFE students in Footscray and has since grown to be Australia’s largest independent human rights organisation which provides support to people seeking asylum.