Volunteers provide free meals during virus crisis

A COMMUNITY group and caterer have been supplying free meals to people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the Stirling-based Dada Bhagwan Perth foundation have joined forces with Amba Foods WA to make and deliver free vegetarian meals to people doing social isolation, seniors and others struggling financially or otherwise to find food.

Volunteer Hiten Shah said a group of about 30 people were involved in the initiative, which started on March 23.

Mr Shah said on the first day, they had requests for seven meals and by last Friday, they were making about 45 meals a day.

He said they had gradually expanded the service, initially offered to people in the cities of Stirling and Wanneroo, and were now delivering meals to Joondalup, Bayswater, Subiaco and Vincent local government areas as well.

“There are so many people at the moment that are in difficulty,” the Darch resident said.

Mr Shah said when they saw people panic buying, they wanted to do something to help those who were struggling to find food.

“The people that are really hand-to-mouth, how are they going to get any food?” he said.

“The people that we are helping includes families that have come back to Perth and are in isolation and have no meals.”

The foundation members discussed providing meals with Amba Foods owner Bhavin Desai, who has been supplying the ingredients and time with his employees to make the meals as well as serving their usual customers.

“Every day it’s freshly cooked meals,” Mr Shah said.

Mr Shah said all the volunteers followed health authority guidelines and there was no contact with people they delivered the meals to.

“If any of us falls ill, then this whole project comes to a standstill,” he said.

“We are trying our best to do what we can.

“We know the severity of the COVID-19 crisis.

“The idea is to keep it going as long as we can to help the community.

“If it takes six months to get everything back on track, then we are prepared to help for six months.”

Mr Shah said Amba Foods WA had the capacity to prepare up to 1000 meals a day at its Tuart Hill kitchen.

Visit the Dada Bhagwan Perth Facebook page for more information.

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