Diva Charity Incorporated founder Christina Iskandar has been nominated for the 2024 NSW Woman of the Year award.
The Greek Australian received a phone call from Maroubra MP and Attorney General Michael Daley this week, telling her the news and inviting her to a breakfast.
Diva Charity run a clothing and food drive on the first Saturday of every month in south Maroubra, a suburb with a vast area of social housing and low-income earners.
“It was quite surprising and I didn’t know that I was getting the call or anything,” she told Neos Kosmos.
“He (Daley) just said that a lot of people in the community have been saying how wonderful it is to have our organisation doing what we’re doing.
“So that was nice because it came from the people and it opens doors for people who don’t know about us necessarily and want to donate food items so that always helps.”
Last year, Christina was a finalist for the Westfield Local Hero Award, where her organisation received a $5000 grant, which she has put towards getting a much-needed van to complete their community work.
Community work that includes food and clothing drives, toy drives during Christmas time, blanket drives for the homeless, women’s shelters and other charities. A local barber also offers free haircuts.
This year’s Local Heroes program is open, with nominations are open until March 18, with Christina hoping Diva Charity can be a part of it once again, with grants of $20,000 and $5000 available that will go a long way in helping them.
The need for a van is because the cars they use, including her husband’s station wagon, is not enough to do all this charitable work.
With the charity growing even more now, the van would make life much easier.
Having already been collecting food items from three different Woolworths, Westfield are now also allowing them to put trolleys outside Coles so people can donate items for the food drives.
“We got the $5000 from Westfield as you know and we have another $5000 from just raising funds ourselves, but now we have also set up a Go Fund Me page,” Christina said.
“People have just been putting in and I’m super grateful.
“We’re also thinking of doing a fundraiser night in the local RSL club, the Maroubra Seals.
“The van is not just a vehicle – it’s a symbol of hope, love and compassion on wheels.”
