When Australia closed its borders in March of 2020, all non-essential services were shut down.
By the end of April, 780,000 Australians had lost their jobs. Today, there are more than one million Australians searching for new sources of income.
Many businesses that were allowed to remain open or that had the opportunity to reopen after lockdown measures loosened couldn’t recover from the financial loss of the past year and had to close their doors permanently.
Over the course of three months, Send Relief partnered with The Refuge Baptist Church to deliver food vouchers to families who are still struggling to make ends meet. The neighborhoods being served are brand new suburbs, and many of these families don’t have friends or family nearby to rely on.
The use of food vouchers returns dignity to these families, allowing them to go to the grocery store and pick items that they and their families prefer—just like they could before they lost their jobs.
A Send Relief partner serving on this project shared, “We found out that many Australians find it hard to share when they are really in need, so it was a huge step for them to let our community centers know that they had run out of food. They were so appreciative of partners who visited them in their homes and discreetly delivered these vouchers!”
One mother, who was living with her eight children in a three-bedroom apartment, allowed her daughter Awaar to occasionally attend a youth program at The Refuge. When several leaders walked Awaar home after youth group, they discovered that her family was experiencing food insecurity. Our partners delivered food vouchers and shared the love of Christ with Awaar’s mother, prompting her to give two more of her daughters permission to start regularly attending church and youth group.
One small act of kindness in a crisis can lead to a much bigger spiritual impact, if we allow God to act through us.
Thank you for caring for vulnerable families amid the ongoing pandemic! Pray for Awaar, her mother and siblings to come to a clear understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
Published May 4, 2022