Times are tough but these community angels are offering a helping hand

Times are grim with a seven-day lockdown in place – but there are guardian angels out helping get their communities through it. This story is free to read, for those in need.

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SA’s Covid-19 lockdown has brought out the Good Samaritans in the community, helping others through these tough times.

From food assistance, to just offering a daily chat, there are guardian angels out in the community.

Heart & Soul founder Eman Rahim usually runs a community pantry, offering free food, at Wingfield but it has been closed to ensure the safety of the community during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Fresh food hampers with fruit, vegetables and bakery items are still available but with a small $10 delivery fee to help the charity cover its costs.

Eman Rahim of the Heart and Soul charity is urging anyone in need to reach out for help.

Ms Rahim said the charity had been inundated with requests for help.

“The demand skyrockets every time we go into lockdown and even when restrictions are brought in,” she said.

Ms Rahim urged anyone in the community who was doing it tough to reach out for help, even if they weren’t on a low income.

“Some people are going to the supermarkets and finding nothing on the shelves,” she said.

“It’s a double-edged sword for us.

“Not only does it increase the demand for our service but we also rely on donations from Coles and Aldi. Normally we’d have 300kg of bakery goods coming in daily, at the moment it’s 40kg. So we have to find other alternatives to meet this demand.”

Ms Rahim said there was no shame in asking for help.

“We have an open door policy – in this lockdown we’re all equal and we’re all in the same boat. Some people might say ‘oh, I’d rather leave it for people worse off than myself’ but right now everyone is in need,” she said.

“We also need people to place orders so we can continue to do what we do.”

The Pear’s Christie Anthony and Joost den Hartog. Pic: Morgan Sette

The Pear cafe at Alberton has also shut its doors during lockdown but owner Joost den Hartog has created a way to keep the local community connected.

With the cafe unable to serve up its usual lattes, a neighbourhood zoom coffee catch-up has been created online instead and will be held at 10.30am each day of lockdown.

“The coffee catch-up offered a quick way to give people a social outlet,” Mr den Hartog said.

“A lot of our customers are on their own and this is a good way to check in on them.”

In Mount Gambier, Amit Sharma had so many requests for free meals on Thursday he didn’t have time to open his restaurant for takeaway.

It’s been a tough 18 months for Blue Lake Indian but Mr Sharma wanted to give back to the community – offering a free meal to anyone who had lost their job, was experiencing homelessness, the elderly, those in quarantine and schools.

Mount Gambier's Amit Sharma had so many requests for free meals on Thursday he didn’t have time to open Blue Lake Indian for takeaway. Picture: Jessica Ball

He cooked up meals during SA’s first lockdown but was shocked to have 120 orders in one day.

“I wasn’t expecting this much response,” Mr Sharma said.

“Last time people weren’t very interested, maybe they were feeling shy or embarrassed, not many people wanted to show they were having any trouble.

“People started coming, on an average we did 30, 40 boxes every day which kept going for two, two and a half months.”

Mr Sharma immigrated to Australia in his thirties and late last year made the decision to close the restaurant for more than three months so he could say goodbye to his dying father in India.

“It was very hard to even get a ticket from here to India but coming back was more difficult,” he said.

“I paid $6000 one way ticket from Dubai, Maldives, Singapore, Adelaide, it took five days to come back to Australia.

Amit Sharma owner and chef at Blue Lake Indian in Mount Gambier. Picture: Jessica Ball

“I thought I would lose all my business but people came with double force to help me.”

For Mr Sharma giving people in need a warm meal is his way of thanking the community for its support and continuing his parents’ legacy.

“That’s what I was taught by my parents, that’s what they used to do when they had free time or when they could afford.

“That’s what I’m teaching to my kids.”

The ladies at Dolores Divine's Meals of Kindness vouchers. Pic: Facebook

For the owners of a Port Lincoln food haven, Dolores Divine it’s all about giving back in their time of need.

The team announced on Friday they would be reintroducing their ‘meals of kindness’ which took of through the first lockdown back in March, 2020.

“There’s a lot of local support since we started this in 2020, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” owner Karen DuBois said.

The initiative costs as little as $10 for the ladies on Mortlock Terrace to make a wholesome meal and drop it off to someone in need.

In November last year, a couple called Hannah and Jeremy called into the cafe and bought 10 meals to donate.

“They bought $100 worth of meals to donate to West Coast Youth and Community Support and are in the process of setting up a similar idea in cafes in Manly,” a Facebook post read.

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