STREET-BASED CAN FOOD DRIVE – SEPTEMBER 2021
TAPPING INTO THE GENEROSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY
Many families and individuals are experiencing severe financial and mental stress due to the effects of the Covid pandemic and restrictions. The demand on food relief services in our area has more than doubled in the past 12 months. In response, the Rotary Club of Eltham decided to conduct a simple, Covid-safe Can Food Drive in September 2021, building upon the success of the 2020 appeal.
Rotarian members used their daily exercise allowance to letterbox 20 or so neighbours with an invitation to leave a can or two of food by their letterboxes for contact-free collection the following Saturday morning.
The cans were subsequently collected by each Rotarian while exercising and a “Thank You” note was left in the letterbox of donors. Five Rotarians (issued with Authorised Worker Permits for Emergency Food service) subsequently collected from groups of Rotarians homes and transported nearly 3000 cans to the Diamond Valley Community Support “Food Collective” project store by 4pm that day.
The generosity of our community came to the fore as neighbours donated nearly 3,000 cans to the Diamond Valley Community Support “Food Collective Project” to provide some relief for the many families in our area who are in need at this time.
Kellie Wishart, Manager of the Food Collective project store summed up the food drive neatly:
"That was an impressive haul. What an amazing community we are part of and (what) a terrific community group Eltham Rotary is."
