I remember when I was at uni (back in the day), living on Austudy and a part time job and barely scraping by after paying rent. My housemates and I would go to Smith Street Safeway and pool our money and then have to stand at the cash register and put things back that we couldn’t afford.

Lots of people have been in the same boat at some stage in their life. A helping hand to reduce basic living expenses when you don’t have enough money coming in can really help.

Please know that there is food relief available for anyone who needs it in our neighbourhood and beyond. We have meals in our freezer that we can give you immediately and we can also help out with accessing groceries either once off, or more regularly until you get on top of things again.

We know there are students and families and other people who rely on casual work who are struggling.

Food relief can help take the pressure off. Just call us on 9499 7227 and we’ll help you access the services you need.

Anne, who is currently attending the Women in the Shed program, shared with me that she is part of a local bushwalking group, Boroondara Bushwalkers, that are based just over the river in Kew.

Here is the link to learn about them.

We are very lucky to have some wonderful local parklands nearby … but if you fancy venturing further afield or are keen on some longer walks maybe you might like to find out more?

At Alphington Community Centre we have been working with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre for may years now.

I can remember when the Fairfield Girl Guides Hall was still around, and I used to drop my darlings off there for dancing and the ASRC volunteer was also there each week to accept community donations.

When the Guides Hall was demolished, Becca invited that volunteer, the ‘old Andy’ (that is, the person back then who did the role that Andy does now) to park out the front of ACC, so he could come in and use the loos, and have a coffee … and feel like he had a home base again. And she provided a storage location so that non-perishable food could be dropped off throughout the week. And this is how ACC became a formal ASRC donation site.

That was probably 8 or 9 years ago I’d guess. And here we are today. Still doing the same thing.

There are lots of kind-hearted and generous people and organisations in our community who recognise that anyone who has had to flee their homeland must have seen tragedy and experienced hardship beyond our imagining - and also realise that asylum seekers in Australia are now stuck in an impossible situation, unsure of where they stand, unable to work and also without a government safety net for all the basics. So they take the time to regularly shop for them, and provide them with a bag of rice (and compassion) or shampoo and conditioner (and love) tins of tuna (and hope) or jar of honey (and care).

If you too would like make life a little easier for someone who is struggling in a sea of uncertainty, you can drop off non-perishable foods with us inside any time we are open. After hours (or in lockdown) you can leave donations in the dark grey roller door shed just inside our back garden. And Andy is here on Thursdays from 10am -12pm so you can also drop off perishable food then (like fresh fruit and vegies etc.). He’ll then take the whole lot over to the ASRC in Footscray for distribution.

If you are wondering what to donate, think about what you purchase each time you’re at the supermarket for your family - rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes and legumes, breakfast cereal, tinned tuna, peanut butter, honey, olive oil, herbs and spices, coffee and tea, toiletries etc. These basic staples that enable you to cook nutritious food for your family and keep clean and tidy are just the things that these families are wanting in their cupboards too.

To find out more about the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre click here.

Hooray! As of 11.46 Thursday morning I’m fully vaccinated. And Kalimna isn’t far behind. She’s having her second jab next week.

Kalimna and I both went to the Austin Health vaccination clinic just up the road at the Repat site. it is now running like a well-oiled machine - only 30 minutes this time, including the 15 minutes I had to hang around to make sure I didn’t have an anaphylactic reaction.

You can walk up for Astra Zeneca. You need to book for Pfizer. You can of course book for both by calling them on 1800 518 258.

Done and dusted!