Dost for hungry children

A not-for-profit fundraiser helps raise money to support schools’ breakfast program

“estimated to be over 680,000 people who are struggling to put a meal on the table every year, or are food insecure”. Believe it or not, this is happening in our own backyard!

There are many reasons given for this food insecurity, however whatever they may be, it is not a happy situation. No child deserves to go hungry, especially when this is not their fault. It is difficult to concentrate or play any sport without sufficient nutrition, which is essential for well-being. This is where Dost comes into the picture. A voluntary family charity organisation, Dost (friend) was created by a group of Indian Australians to lend a helping hand towards worthwhile causes.

problem, it was not taken seriously However, when this need came to light after a discussion initiated by Natalie Hutchins, Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Ports & Logistics and Member for Keilor, team Dost decided to step in and offer their support.

Shocking, yes; a rumour, no!

According to a study* done by Anglicare Australia in 2012, around 45,000 households here are using emergency relief services because they don’t have enough money to put food on the table. And one in 10 of those households have children who go without food for a whole day on a regular basis. More recent reports by Food Bank puts the number

The issue of children coming hungry to school became evident in growing suburbs where a lot of young families have settled. Schools were running out of their breakfast funding early in the year, and teachers were hopelessly watching children struggle without food for days. Being a new

An exotic Indian night of fun was held at the Luxor at Taylor’s Lake recently, to raise funds in support of the Western Suburbs of Melbourne’s school breakfast program, to help local school children. In collaboration with Ms Hutchins, team Dost comprising of Helen and Narinder Bedi, Mehul and Rajal Sanghvi and Arun and Jaya Sharma worked tirelessly to organise this exotic affair. A significant amount in excess of $20,000 was raised from donations and auctions that night. Mr Spiros Karagiannidis, who also doubled up as the MC, conducted the auction with success. Prior to the auction, Sarabjit Loyal on dilruba and Jagdip Shergill on tabla provided the musical entertainment, followed by an interactive Bollywood dance from Bollywood Beats dance group. This gala event brought the community together for a good cause with Member for Kororoit, Marlene Kairouz; Consul for India Rakesh Kawra and wife Mona; Mayor of Melton, Cr Renata Cuiglari; and local business owners in attendance. Arun Sharma from Dost shared thoughts and facts about the fundraiser to a rapt audience, who were still unable to believe that children were going hungry in this day and age in Australia. A teacher from a local primary school was unable to control her emotions while recounting her experience, and cried while addressing the audience. Post event feedback was very complimentary and special mention was made of the professionalism and creativity displayed by team Dost in holding this fundraiser.

*State of the Family Report 2012: When there’s not enough to eat