Blog

Food insecurity has been one of the most detrimental parts of poverty, and St Merkorious Charity is determined to help the community to break its poverty cycle by making sure hunger is satisfied in a nutritious, empathetic, and dignified way. We provide food relief through delivery and community meals to Fairfield weekly.

Pre-COVID-19 we served more than 100 people per community meal, and now as we re-open we are reigniting our community to gather, celebrate, eat, and have fun with other members of our community.

The Fairfield City Council through their Community Capacity Building initiative supported our Charity with $3,000 for hiring a presenter for our community meals. Fairfield has a culturally rich and diverse environment, with a high CALD and refugee population, communities that are often in, or at risk of, disadvantage.

We have resumed our weekly Community Meal and monthly donation Hub for Fairfield locals at Fairfield Community Centre as a supportive, community activity with the aid of Fairfield Council’s support. There, we provide free tea and lunch and company from our volunteers as a community event. This food is available to any disadvantaged in the community as well as any locals who wish to participate in the meal.

When the meals stopped due to COVID-19 restrictions, many of our community members expressed dissatisfaction and increased social isolation. We decided to hire a presenter to make our clients feel connected to the community and combat social isolation. Many of our clients came back with feedback that having a presenter in the center made them feel like participating in a team setting and aided them in improving their self-esteem.

Participants expressed it was easier to network and share their stories with other people due to the relaxed atmosphere, thus creating a bond. People also enjoyed the music and live entertainment present at the community centre by our presenter and volunteers.

The presenter with our volunteers provided resources to help them in accessing Centrelink, referrals, and other support. We have had more people approach us and ask for support through this setting.

Paula Nicholas, CEO of St Merkorious Charity said, “I am extremely delighted that we were able to fulfill the goal of our community members enjoying a hot, nutritious, and delicious meal, with sharing a friendly conversation in the warm and welcoming atmosphere.”

We are committed to helping everyone who needs a hand and a great meal while our community works to recover from the COVID-19 impacts. We want to express our gratitude to the Fairfield City Council once more for their assistance in enabling us to assist disadvantaged people to participate in the community meals while gaining a sense of belonging.