SERVICE PROJECT: ACT FOOD DROP
Location: ACT
Status: Completed

The ACT Government established the Canberra Relief Network (CRN) as part of their COVID-19 response. The CRN was a cross-agency team with representatives from multiple ACT Government Directorates and a call centre operated by Volunteering ACT. DRA was the ‘logistics partner’ for this activity. ACT residents in need rang the contact centre and registered for food hampers.
BACKGROUND
Many ACT residents were in isolation as a result of being identified as a close or casual contact of a positive COVID case. This meant that many members of the community were unable to shop for groceries. On top of this, there were reports where traditional “click and collect” services were overwhelmed resulting in significant delays and cancellation of orders.
TASKING
The ACT Government engaged DRT ACT members to deliver food hampers to specific residences around Canberra. Each day, eight DRA members picked up food and hygiene hampers at a makeshift warehouse at Exhibition Park in Canberra (Canberra Showground) and using four vehicles worked in pairs to deliver up to 20 locations. Shifts started with a briefing at 0830, loading vehicles at 0900 and typically finishing around 1300. Deliveries were undertaken on Monday to Friday. All deliveries were contactless, with no interaction between DRA members and residents.
All the Reward I Need, Veteran Phil Wharton
A veteran friend suggested I look at Disaster Relief Australia when I was looking for an opportunity to give back after many years of paid work. I was immediately impressed by DRA’s focus on getting things done and helping others in their hour of need. Thinking about...
Take a Leap, Volunteer, Alasdair McLachlan
I come from a military family. My father is an Officer in the Army Reserve and so I spent much time in my childhood surrounded by the ADF community. Whether through attending a family barbeque in Keswick Barracks or doing my homework on my dad’s Army Reserve office...
Use Any of Your Life Skills, Nurse Michelle
Everybody will be able to make a contribution in some way. They will bring their own life experiences and be able to make a purposeful impact on other people – and that’s such a wonderful thing to be able to do to people in our community who may not have that access to those resources in another way.