As you probably already know, ACC is a long-standing collection point for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. And Andy (one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet - it’s worth donating on a Thursday morning to absorb the good vibes he gives out) is the person who transports all the food over to Footscray, and has done so for 3 or 4 years now.

He sits out the front in his car, week in and week out, learning Mandarin in the downtime as he waits for food donations to arrive.

Xie xie Andy (I hope I got that right - Mandarin is not my forte). We truly appreciate your commitment!

Today I am handing over to him for this post. Here we go!

It may be a serious lockdown, and the approach of cooler weather, but there are two certainties as I spend Thursday mornings on the footpath outside the ACC. 

Firstly, it’s the friendly folk who drop by with food items for the ASRC Foodbank. It always amazes me how generous these people are, even in tough times there are so many people thinking of others.

I am generally out the front from 10am to 12noon after which I drive the donations across to the Footscray Asylum Seekers Resource Centre, from where they are distributed to the people seeking refuge with us … they too are having difficulty with finances and foodstuffs, probably as much as, if not more than, the rest of us.

Secondly, it’s those magpies. No matter the weather, as soon as the first donations arrive so do they, hopping around, warbling their little hearts out and pecking the bags of food items as if they are the recipients.

No matter how much I yell "Go Pies" they insist!

If you’d like to donate to the ASRC you can drop off non-perishable foods in the roller door shed just inside the back gate at any time, or come past when I’m here on Thursday mornings. To find out what food items are particularly needed you can check here.