A fascinating presentation to the club on a project closely allied to one of our own and also strongly aligned to the values of Rotary
TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY
Adeline Khong came to Australia from Singapore thirteen years ago. She is proud of being a certified foster carer, and has fostered ten children over a period of three years. What she represents in Empower Australia is the belief that people should be able to reach their full potential.
FOOD INSECURITY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Much of the work undertaken in Empower Australia deals with individuals facing food insecurity. Five thousand meals have been provided in five locations. Foodbank donates food to this organization. The statistic which needs to be emphasized is one which informs us that three in five Australians faced food insecurity during the COVID19 lockdown. Empower Australia provides a supermarket style service, in order to preserve the dignity of the individual. The goal is to leverage people out of poverty.
THE FLEMINGTON ESTATE
The story of the way Empower Australia dealt with food insecurity is demonstrated by the delivery of food when it was suddenly placed in quarantine. Th Schools Breakfast Programs, giving hot breakfasts and lunches to students highlights the effectiveness of Empower Australia.
PARTNERING WITH OTHER GROUPS
Empower Australia partners with the St Kilda Football Club to handle bullying issues in schools. Potential confrontations in the community are prevented due to being reported to Victoria Police. As a result of reporting the fight between two groups of young people, the conflict never took place.
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
An anecdote referred to, by Adeline , described the journey of young men, who suffered from depression, from just selecting food at the supermarket, to leaving the halfway house and obtaining a job. People need to be valued and feeling safe.
CONCLUSION
The amount of good will at the meeting of The Rotary Club of Canterbury was palpable. Adeline's organization struck a chord with those present at the Rotary meeting.. the Rotary Club of Canterbury is particularly proud of the projects in which it is involved. There was a definite view that perhaps The Rotary Club of Canterbury should partner with Empower Australia.
Empower Australia has worked within public housing communities for over 10 years, through our Street Team Program. Since 2020, the program has worked specifically in the area of food relief—to provide support to residents. We are planning to run our Street Team Program which would include a free BBQ and social-activation and community-building activities as restrictions have eased.
Through our School Welfare Division The No Bull Movement, Empower Australia has been running Breakfast Programs in schools for over 10 years. Statistics show that 1 in 5 Australian students are unable to afford breakfast at least once a week. Providing healthy and nutritious breakfasts to high school students through our Breakfast Program helps students focus in class, maximises their opportunities to learn and improves their general health outcomes.
There were a number of questions raised by the members
Q. Who started Empower
A Empower is a project originally started by Planet Shakers Global
Q. Are there volunteers
A. the organisation in Melbourne has 3 staff members and can draw on 250 volunteers
Q. With the opening up of the economy from COVID has demand for support decreased
A. Yes bit it is still high
Q. Do you screen those who are looking for your support
A. No - what we do is based on the honesty system
Adeline commented that, during COVID, they had significant support from Foodbank at no cost, now there is a nominal fee for the food provided