Volunteers ramping up assistance to Adelaideans in lockdown

Volunteers in South Australia have increased their efforts to assist people in need as the state enters its third full day of lockdown.

Elderly people and international students self-isolating or in financial hardship can now request hot meals through not-for-profit organisation Khalsa Aid Australia.

Volunteer Raj Kaur said the organisation had been delivering much-needed groceries and supplies to those in need since the pandemic was declared last year, but with Adelaide now in lockdown they could also contact the group via text message [0424 411 427] for a hot vegetarian lunch or dinner.

“They can drop us an SMS, give us an address, and then one of our volunteers will drop them a feed,” Ms Kaur told ABC Radio Adelaide.

“And it can be customised, if they have a baby at home and need nappies, or food, milk and bread or whatever.”

Ms Kaur started volunteering with the international organisation last year to provide hot meals and groceries to financially disadvantaged people.

“We take turns to cook the meals and do door-to-door services to them,” she said.

Foodbank SA is also available to eligible people experiencing financial difficulty.

Red Cross on the phone

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Red Cross volunteers have been busy on the phones checking up on the wellbeing of people in self-isolation or quarantine.

The volunteers provide “psychological first aid” and link people to community services in their local area.

On Thursday the charity started delivering assistance to drivers waiting in long Adelaide queues — up to 14 hours in some cases — to get tested for COVID-19.

Red Cross regional services manager Rebecca Cunningham said it followed the organisation’s phone calls to listed people only to find many of them sitting in cars waiting to get their fifth-day test.

“SA produce will be packaged up at the Red Cross office and delivered out to people who are waiting in those lines,” she said.

The Red Cross has made more than 38,000 wellbeing calls to 7,952 South Australians in quarantine or self-isolation since the pandemic was declared in March 2020.

Between Tuesday, when Adelaide’s latest lockdown began, and Thursday afternoon, volunteers mostly working from home had already made 6,478 calls.

Smaller dwellings challenged

Ms Cunningham said people who were at home in their own space with a backyard had generally been fairing better than those in smaller dwellings.

“They’ve cleaned out their pantry, or they’ve done some cooking and things like that,” she said.

“Ipads are great for keeping kids quiet for a little while, but once you’re getting up to 14 hours in some cases, you can imagine the activities and things to keep them occupied has run out.

“Our thoughts are really with those people who are struggling at the moment and we’re trying to do all we can to link them with the right support at this time.”

The list of people for the charity’s phone service was supplied by SA Health, but Ms Cunningham said people who had missed out could call the COVID-19 hotline on 1800 253 787 and ask to be put on the list. 

Services available to you

People are advised to visit the Ask Izzy website to be directed towards services available to help them, including for food, health, housing, and domestic and family violence assistance.

Financial support is also being offered through the federal and state governments, including between $375 to $600 a week depending on lost working hours under the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment.

A $1,500 payment for each eligible Australian resident required to undertake 14 days quarantine is also available, while the state government is offering $300 one-off payments for people who are part of a designated COVID-19 cluster and are required to self-isolate pending a virus test.