Indian News Queensland | CORONA CRISIS
Australia’s Indian community brings hope and cheer in COVID-19 times Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Australia, Hare Krishna Community and Cultural Centre (Sydney) and Sikh Volunteers Australia keep up the good work by supplying essentials to the distressed international student community and temporary visa holders worst hit by the COVID-19 crisis.
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ishwa Hindu Parishad, Australia, Hare Krishna Community and Cultural Centre (Sydney) and Sikh Volunteers Australia keep up the good work by supplying essentials to the distressed international student community and temporary visa holders----worst hit by the COVID-19 crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has gripped the world tenaciously, leaving behind an all-pervasive uncertainty about the future. Just like the other nations, Australia has been reeling under the economic fallout triggered by this unprecedented crisis. Though the Australian government has been immensely supportive by releasing stimulus packages for the citizens and permanent residents, the international student community and temporary visa holders still continue to be financially vulnerable due to loss of jobs. However, they are being given succour by some prominent Indian organisations based in Australia. Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (World Hindu Council) noble endeavour The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of Australia Inc., which works on the guiding principles of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one large family) and “Sewa Parmo Dharma” (service is the highest duty), has been playing a major role in ensuring the food security of those who have been worst-hit in Australia amid the COVID-19 crisis. For the past two months, the VHP, Queensland Chapter, volunteers along with those of Bala Samskara Kendra, Queensland, have been conducting weekend grocery kit and vegetables distribution among international students and temporary residents. They have also recently collated the initiatives such as providing accommodation and financial advice for international students, medical advice and home visit by doctors being undertaken by various community organisations and businesses based in Brisbane and Gold Coast to provide essential services to those in need and made such requisite information easily accessible by listing these on flyers that are being posted on social media platforms. The Hindu Social Service Foundation, an initiative of VHP, Australia, is providing free dinner and grocery packs as well as medication and grocery collection services to senior citizens. Keeping in mind the mental toll of this ongoing crisis VHP’s www.indiannewsqld.com.au
team of experts and volunteers has been made available via a helpline number to seek guidance for managing mental stress due to loneliness and anxiety. Joint efforts by HKCCC (Sydney) and Hindu Organisations, Temples and Associations (HOTA) The Hare Krishna Cultural and Community Centre (HKCCC) (Sydney), an initiative of ISCKON, has recently started a grocery distribution drive which has provided much needed relief to the international students facing financial constraints since most of them have lost their jobs in the wake of the lockdown to combat the pandemic. This selfless initiative by HKCCC, which has collaborated with Hindu Organisations, Temples and Associations (HOTA) to give greater momentum to the drive, is helping to spread optimism among the countless foreign students and other temporary visa holders. In an interview with an Australian news channel, Janardhan Das, a volunteer of HKCCC, said that he and other volunteers have embarked on a project to help countless foreign students and other temporary visa holders by supplying grocery so that they are able to fulfil their day- today food requirements for at least two weeks or a month. He further said that HKCCC and HOTA are mainly targeting households which are in dire straits.
frontrunners in providing aid to those in dire straits Sikh Volunteers Australia, which launched its Free Food Van service for the homeless and needy in February 2017, has been working tirelessly to deliver free vegetarian food to disadvantaged families ever since the lockdown rendered many a foreign student financially vulnerable. This group of Sikh volunteers in Australia has been collecting food, cooking meals and delivering these to the elderly, disabled and isolated people amid the covid-19 crisis. At one point they were delivering almost 800 meals per day. Their Free Food Van and Free Take-Away Food Kitchen have proven invaluable for those affected directly and indirectly by the crisis. Having delivered a total of 41,215 meals till May 9 to many areas, including Cranbourne, Frankston, Seaford, Carrum Downs, Clyde, Skye, Tooradin, Hampton Park, Lyndhurst, Lynbrook, Junction Village, Devon Meadows, Narre Warren, Hallam, Berwick, they decided to extend their Free Food Delivery Program till May 30 despite the easing down of the lockdown. The volunteers are eager to keep up the good work even beyond this depending upon the needs of the community. These selfless volunteers are spreading a wave of positivity and solidarity in the community. By Devashish Chakraborty and Deepika Banerji
Sikh Volunteers Australia's Free Food Van service for the homeless and needy
Sikh volunteers in Australia have been collecting food and delivering these to the elderly, disabled and isolated people amid the covid-19 crisis
Janardhan Das, a volunteer of HKCCC, among others, is part of the project to help foreign students and other temporary visa holders by supplying groceries Courtesy - VHP Facebook
Reiterating the pride that ISCKON takes worldwidein its unique food distribution system, Das remarked that the prevailing situation was a deterrent against providing cooked food, so they decided to improvise by procuring lots of dry grocery items like rice, flour, oil, salt, lentils and other items. He further said that they had managed to collect food stuff for about 50 families and were expecting to procure even more. Quoting some verses from the Bhagvad Gita, he commented that they were following the teachings of Lord Krishna as according to Him each and every living entity is an eternal fragmented part of the Lord himself. So, by serving these families they were serving the Lord. Das extended his gratitude to all the devotees and congregation members who had generously donated food stuff and also hoped to continue with the good work. Sikh
Volunteers
HKCCC volunteer delivering groceries to the students
VHP volunteers
Groceries getting packed by HKCCC
For the past two months, volunteers from VHP Queensland and also from Bala Samskar Kendra, Queensland, have been conducting weekend grocery kit and vegetables distributed
Australia----
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JUNE 2020
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