Over 500 families will receive food hampers from various Greek Orthodox charities this Christmas giving them much needed food, but their help is more than that. During a time when family and happiness reigns supreme, members of our community are sad, plagued with financial stress or even illness, making Christmas an unhappy time of year.
But with the care and love shown from these charities, the less fortunate members of our community finally have something to smile about again. Sister Joanna Diavatis, director of the Orthodox Christian Mission Sisterhood of St John the Eleimon told Neos Kosmos that these hampers help the recipients “socially, emotionally, psychologically and financially”. “There is a lot of pressure because this is the time that there is huge pressure for people to be happy and when someone is very unhappy because of illness, isolation, because of financial pressures – they can’t pay the bills and make ends meet, then how can they be happy? People respond and they say ‘you thought about us’ and ‘thank god you came around.'”
A staff member of the Greek Welfare Centre – who collect donations through Greek Orthodox churches around Victoria and the schools St Johns College in Preston and Oakleigh Grammar – echoed these sentiments. “The food that we are donating may not be much but when they receive the food hamper they feel there is someone in the Greek community that thinks about them,” they said.
The Greek Welfare Centre delivers two hamper services – at Christmas and Easter, and collect non-perishable foods and toys. When the appeal began they had around 60 recipients – now they have more than 300 and deliver to over 85 suburbs. Elderly pensioners and single mothers are their main recipients but they also deliver to newly arrived Greeks.
On the other hand, the sisterhood organises food hampers all throughout the year, with Easter and Christmas being their busiest time. At Easter they delivered to more than 400 families and predict this Christmas will be around the same. Sr Diavatis said that they service all ages, families and people within our community, and also the wider Victorian community.
And they will try and donate whatever people ask for, whether it be food, furniture, toys or clothing. Their food hampers contain perishable foods such as cheeses and meats, so there needs to be a family member home to receive the hamper. She says at times they may have to visit one house up to three times to ensure someone gets their donation. Although they are doing their best to donate to the poor, she says the community can do a lot more, especially businesses.
“We have managed to attract some enterprises, Greek businesses that are doing their bit to help out, by either donating or reducing their cost price but this is not enough. “There are companies we have contacted who have refused to help with various excuses such as the weather, the food will go bad – nonsense. I think those who are able within the Greek community should become more sensitised and should understand what’s happening and try and give a little bit of help to make a food parcel more worthwhile.”
Sr Diavatis said that these members of our community who are less fortunate than us are our community and we need to remember that and do all we can to help. “Unless we take care of them and show them we care, then we are going to be a very unhappy community and we have to make sure we change our attitudes towards people in need, and we must make sure that we respond positively in some way.”
You can donate to the Orthodox Christian Mission Sisterhood of St John the Eleimon by contacting (03) 9399 3377, and you can donate to the Greek Welfare Centre by contacting (03) 9486 6588 or take your non-perishable food donations to Greek Orthodox churches in Victoria.