Stories of #GoodChange
About Our Hamper Campaign with Multicultural NSW
We're already in April, and here at Good Neighbors Australia we could not be more excited to show you what we've done in the meantime!
…for both the international and domestic community, that is. Last year in 2020, a large majority of our focus was on the Australian community since an unprecedented amount of humanitarian disasters hit the country – like the bushfires and COVID-19 global pandemic. From partnering with Ozharvest to distribute over $10 000 AUD worth of food supplies to handing out hampers to marginalised communities in Australia, Good Neighbors Australia is dedicated to helping out our neighbours in need.
In line with our commitment to transparent accountability, we have recently published a report on our activities in the Winter Warmer Hamper campaign. During one of our domestic charity campaigns in 2020, we were fortunate enough to be granted funding by Multicultural NSW, where we launched the Winter Warmer Hamper campaign and distributed hampers to over 100 recipients.
We also partnered with WASH House, another local nonprofit organisation. They are a women’s community resource centre based in Blacktown, Sydney. Out of respect to the sensitivities the communities may face, Good Neighbours Australia delegated the distribution of the hampers to WASH House while our team collaborated with the community leaders of the Khmer community in New South Wales to deliver the rest of the hampers.
You can read the full report here, but we thought we’d share some highlights of the project results.
In total, Good Neighbors Australia:
- Acquired $7 700 AUD worth of in-kind gift donations from corporate partners including HOME789 and Kago Australia
- Distributed 105 hampers to 12 different ethnic groups in Sydney
- Delivered 525kg of rice, 110kg of pasta, 3 150 face masks, 1 050 pairs of socks, 105 blankets and 105 Woolworths grocery vouchers
- 90% of recipients hadn’t received any aid from charities prior to Good Neighbors Australia
- 25 hampers were distributed to single-parent households
- Residents from 13 different ethnic backgrounds were served
- All hampers were delivered by the WASH House case workers.
Meanwhile, from the Khmer community in New South Wales:
- 80 hampers were directly handed to single-parent households
- Recipients were selected by the Khmer community leaders
Outcomes of the charity campaign
We also conducted questionnaires for 40 recipients to fill out in order to measure the campaign’s outcomes and reflect on the needs of the community. Our main focus was on COVID-19 and how the pandemic has affected the lives of people already struggling prior to the crisis.
Good Neighbors Australia found that out of the 105 recipients:
- 27.4% were in Cabramatta
- 10.4% were in Bonnyrigg
- 6.6% were in Mount Druitt
- 5.7% were in Miller
- 2.8% were in St Johns Park
- 44.3% were in other locations or not specified by the surveyor
What’s more, from the surveys we found that the Winter Warmer Hampers were greatly appreciated. Due to the limited and uncertain availability of food and other resources, 87% recipients were extremely distressed. Many were reported to have experienced varying forms of depression and anxiety due to the pandemic.
It is also important to note that 51% of the total recipients had little to no other access to food support locations other than the Fairfield LGA, which reinforced yet again the need for the hampers.
But wait, what is Good Neighbors Australia going to do now?
Of course, this is not all! We remain committed to continuing the Good Neighbors mission, and are constantly planning new projects for the good of the community. In fact, Multicultural NSW has once again invested in Good Neighbors Australia’s projects, which we will implement very, very soon. Our newest charity campaign will once again address those struggling from the aftereffects of COVID-19, but will specifically hone in on mental health.
Stay tuned on this website or on our social media for more information!
