Yesterday I embarked on a course to deliver food to the people in need. Meaning they aren’t necessarily homeless, however, they are struggling to provide for themselves or families. Previous to this, I received an email from the College’s service coordinator, Scott Corbet. It was regarding this event and how to sign up to help. As I hadn’t taken part in many services prior to this, I felt like it was time for me to give back to the community.

During school, I volunteered my recess’s & lunches to go help pack hampers in which on the holidays we would deliver. They had different amounts for different groups of people, yet with any package, it barely seemed like enough to last them the next few days.

For 4 people an example hamper would be;

• 4 cans of vegetables
• 2 cans of tuna
• 2 loaves of bread
• 2 brown onions
• 4 potatoes
• 4 pieces of fruit
• 4 eggs
• 2 cartons of long last milk
• 1 small box of cereal
• 1 packet of spaghetti
• tomato sauce
• 1 packet of chips

On the day mum and I drove to the school to load our car, and get directions as to who we were delivering to, their situation, and where they lived. Also, we were told about the precautions we had to make. Such as not to go in their house, and to see their ID before giving food. The first house was actually in a nice area, although it smelt malodorously of cigarettes. They were heavy smokers, and due to their unfortunate addiction, spent up to $50 a day on cigarettes. Leaving very little money for food, already with a tight income. The lady that came to the door was incredibly thin, and I wish that I could have done more for her.

This experience really put everything into perspective for me. I never knew so many people around where I live are going through these struggles. I thought Australia wouldn’t have been so bad, as we are one of the richer countries. This had inspired me to do more community service and I’m looking foward to further helping those in need.