Feed Appeal 2021: St Merkorious Strathfield gets new freezer to help more people

A Sydney charity – among many others across Australia – has been handed a much needed pandemic boost following a record year of fundraising by the Feed Appeal.

A leading Sydney food charity will be able to serve hundreds more meals each month thanks to this year’s Feed Appeal.

St. Merkorious Charity Association in Strathfield will purchase a new walk-in freezer after a donation from the record $1.96m raised through the Feed Appeal.

The Appeal is co-founded by News Corp Australia and FareShare and helps those in need across the country.

St. Merkorious Charity founder Paula Nicolas at the headquarters in Strathfield South. Picture: Richard Dobson

St. Merkorious founder Paula Nicolas said during lockdown demand for food had gone through the roof.

She said they had witnessed many more Sydney families than usual unable to support themselves as well as youths and overseas students stuck in limbo.

Women in their 40s and 50s and homeless people also continue to come to them in great number.

“People are struggling in general,” she said. “They cannot support themselves, they cannot afford the bills.

“Working on the frontline, it’s undeniable how many Australians have fallen near or teetered off the brink during the challenges 2020 and 2021 have created. Job losses, underemployment, increased homelessness and lockdowns have hit so many hard.

“We give them food, but they need more than food.

“When we deliver food, they feel there is someone asking about them, someone that cares. It’s rewarding and it means a lot to them.”

Paula Nicolas with some of the meals the charity sends out. Picture: Richard Dobson

Thanks to the new freezer, which will be purchased with the $27,657 grant, Ms Nicolas said there would be less food wastage and more space to store donations, meaning they will be able to cater for more people.

St. Merkorious has been running an outreach program during lockdown, delivering meals to homes, but Ms Nicolas said she looks forward to the summer months when their sit-down community meals can begin again.

“Hopefully with vaccination, we will be able to have community meals back. It’s something to look forward to.

“People are not just hungry for food, they are hungry for love and connection. Many people are isolated and lonely and our meals mean a lot.”

The Feed Appeal, which was co-founded by News Corp Australia and FareShare, has provided grants in NSW, Victoria, SA, ACT, Queensland, and WA for frontline community charities to purchase much-need equipment such as vans, fridges, freezers and kitchen equipment.

Paula Nicolas. Picture: Richard Dobson

News Corp Australia’s Community Ambassador Penny Fowler, said “The incredible result from this year’s fundraising will have a direct impact on the most disadvantaged Australians.

“The generosity of those who supported the Feed Appeal this year cannot be understated. This funding crucially will help ensure those in need will not have to worry about where their next meal will come from, or how to feed their family.”

FareShare CEO Marcus Godinho said the funding would have an immediate impact on people struggling to put food on the table.

“FareShare is experiencing the greatest escalation in demand for its meals in our 20-year history with charities requesting double the number of meals they usually order, other charities having to be placed on a waiting list and individuals seeking us out for meals.

“Our chefs are working harder than ever to provide the healthiest meals possible as the economic pressures from the pandemic have seen so many Australians who have never experienced food insecurity before joining others asking charities for help.

“For us, providing a homestyle meal on the table for an individual or a family doing it tough is one way we can help and provide hope in these challenging times.

Marcus Godinho, CEO of FareShare. Picture: Supplied

“Our meals tell someone they matter and that someone cares enough to cook it for them and help them get back on their feet.”

Other grants handed out include money for a food transport van for Friends of Refugees to support migrants and refugee families in Melbourne’s southeast, food staples for a school breakfast program by Hello Initiative at Perth’s Children’s Court and a 40-tray oven for Goondir Health Services in Dalby to cook meals for Indigenous communities and others in remote Queensland.

For more details visit: feedappeal.org.au