Thanks a million: How ‘COVID couriers’ saved the day

Retired lawyer and migration agent Aida Garcia will never forget the day COVID-19 really hit in Adelaide.

ida Garcia has been nominated for News Corp’s Thanks a Million campaign. Picture: Mike Burton

Retired lawyer and migration agent Aida Garcia will never forget the day COVID-19 really hit in Adelaide.

She returned home after undergoing day surgery on March 30 and her email inbox was inundated with urgent requests for help from the city’s international students, in particular from the Filipino community she has led for years.

“Many had lost their jobs because of COVID-19 and had no source of income and they were away from their family, they needed money for basics like groceries,” Garcia said.

By April 1, Garcia was making food deliveries to all those who had reached out for help – while still healing from her surgery – crossing the city many times over, funding the petrol herself and parcelling up food from her own pantry and that of her family and friends.

As the need continued, Garcia orchestrated a more planned approach to deliveries, along with volunteers from the Filipino Network of South Australia. By October, the network had delivered food packs to 500 individuals in 193 suburbs across Adelaide.

Aida Garcia (in red sequins) is a retired lawyer and migration agent who delivered groceries with helpers (l-r) Cora Budnik, clemen Tomakin, Marilyn Linn, Ruzelle Rewak, Luz Pore-Shields, Antonette McColl and Annie Baker. Picture: Mike Burton

Garcia was nominated in the Thanks a Million campaign by her proud daughter Carmen Garcia for her selfless devotion.

“Once we got organised, I was able to orchestrate the packing of boxes and the logistics of the deliveries from my house and then from a friend’s house,” Garcia said. “These poor students had no one else to turn to, in one case there were 10 students living in one house with no food.”

On December 20, Garcia organised a Christmas picnic for the international students at Unley Oval.

“I wanted them to feel the spirit of Christmas and to celebrate after all those months of COVID-19,” Garcia said.

“I also invited the volunteers who had made the deliveries, which I named the ‘COVID couriers’ to celebrate together. This was an isolating time for everyone, but in particular these international students who were so far from their families. One poor 19-year-old boy who arrived here during COVID-19, committed suicide so I helped organise his funeral.’’

To nominate someone and say thanks, go to thanksamillion.net.au and they could receive a $200 Woolworths Gift Card. Terms and conditions apply.

Originally published as Thanks a million: How ‘COVID couriers’ saved the day